When he turned he held it in his extended hand, and the eyes of the girl suddenly fell upon it.

Instantly she leaped to her feet, as pale as death itself.

Then a scream, as of sudden, ungovernable terror, rose from her lips and rang with piercing shrillness through the house.

“Catch her, Chick—­she’s fainting!” yelled Nick, with eyes ablaze.  “By Heaven! we’ve struck the trail at last!”

CHAPTER X.

On the trail.

Nick Carter was a little perplexed.

Miss Violet Page had recovered from her sudden swoon, and although still very pale she sat gazing calmly at the silver jewel casket, which Nick was again displaying.

Somewhat to Nick’s surprise, considering the girl’s abrupt collapse upon first beholding the casket, Miss Page had just declared that she had never seen it before that evening.

“You never saw it before?” exclaimed Nick, almost incredulously.

“Never until you produced it from your desk a few minutes ago,” reiterated Violet.

“Why, then, were you so overcome upon seeing it?”

“I will tell you why, Detective Carter, yet I fear that you will think me very weak and foolish to have been so seriously affected.”

“No; I think not.”

“I had a terrible dream last night, sir,” Violet now explained.  “I dreamed that I was alone in an enormous graveyard at midnight, with a full moon revealing the dismal surroundings, the dark tombs, the staring, white headstones and the silent graves.”

“Not very cheerful—­certainly,” smiled Nick.

“What followed was infinitely more terrible,” continued Violet, with an irrepressible shudder.

“What was that?”

“I dreamed that I saw a grave near which I was standing suddenly begin to open, as if a living being were pushing up the ground from within.  Then I saw a fleshless hand appear above the disturbed sods.  Then a sightless human skull thrust itself forth, and presently, filling me with a terror I cannot describe, the entire skeleton emerged from the partly open grave, and arose and approached me.”

“A grewsome dream, indeed,” remarked Nick.  “But what of the casket?”

“This of the casket, sir,” concluded Violet.  “In the skeleton’s right hand, which was extended straight toward me while he approached, was a silver box—­the exact likeness of the one you hold, and which you so abruptly showed me a short time ago.”

“Ah, I see,” nodded Nick.

“In my present nervous condition, Detective Carter, the sight of the real casket, after so horrible a dream, was more than I could sustain.  Fairly before I knew it, I had fainted.”

“A curious dream and a startling sequence,” said Nick.  “Evidently coming events have been casting their shadows before.  I am sorry to have shocked you so severely.”