"Well, if Lancaster did not leave the house nor the room, he must be concealed in it--or else have vanished into thin air, which is, of course, impossible." "I'm not so certain about that," said Olive, looking up, "remember what we were talking about." Teddy shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. "Occult science, theosophy, and disintegration," he said glibly. "Oh! nonsense--all that stuff is humbug." "I believe my master's a devil," asserted Dentham, suddenly, with a scared look. Both the others stared at him in silent astonishment, but there was a look of apprehension on Olive's face that showed that she shared to some extent in the ideas of the servant. "How so?" demanded Teddy, with a disbelieving smile. "Because I've left him in the room, sir, and locked all the windows before leaving; sometimes I've come back and found him gone, with the windows still locked, and the shutters up. He couldn't have got out of the windows, and he couldn't clear by the door, because I was generally in the passage, and would have seen him. Now, sir," finished Dentham, triumphantly, "where did he go to?" "I think the true explanation is this," said Rudall, quietly. "He has some secret chamber or exit in the walls of this special room to which you refer. Have you examined the walls?" "No, sir." "Then, depend upon it, my theory is a correct one," said Teddy, in a complacent tone, "there's a sliding panel or a masked door, which either leads to the outside of the house, or to some secret room. I think the latter, because if he had let Mr. Lancaster out by the secret way we should have heard from him long ago. My opinion is that he is keeping Adrian concealed in the hidden room I refer to." "But why?" asked Olive, quietly. "You, yourself, gave me the explanation," said Rudall, quickly; "it is a case of revenge, I fancy. Now in order to find out anything we must search this room." "But how, sir?" asked Dentham. "Master never goes away from the house, and we can't look if he's there." "Oh! I can manage that," said Olive, decisively. "I'll get my father to write a letter asking him to come down to Marlow--during his absence we can search the room; if we find anything we can demand an explanation, and, at all events, I shall certainly make him tell me why Adrian called to see him on that night." "Yes, I think that will be the best thing to be done," said Teddy, thoughtfully. "Well, Miss Maunders, we had better go down at once to Marlow, and get your father to write the necessary letter. As for you," he added, turning to Dentham, "go back to Hampstead, and keep a watch on your master. Don't arouse his suspicions, but if he tries to clear out wire us at once." "And the money, mum?" said Dentham in a whining tone, as Olive arose to her feet. She took out her purse, and handed him two ten-pound notes and one five-pound in silence.