“No mistake about this lot,” he announced, with a smile.  “Has anybody else entered or attempted to enter the house?”

“Not a soul,” replied Miss Lorne.  “I didn’t trust anybody to do the watching, Mr. Narkom—­I watched myself.”

“Good.  Where are the jewels?  In that safe?”

“No,” replied Sir Horace.  “They are to be exhibited in the picture-gallery for the benefit of the guests at the wedding breakfast to-morrow, and as Miss Wyvern wished to superintend the arrangement of them herself, and there would be no time for that in the morning, she and her sister are in there laying them out at this moment.  As I could not prevent that without telling them what we have to dread, I did not protest against it; but if you think it will be safer to return them to the safe after my daughters have gone to bed, Mr. Narkom—­”

“Not at all necessary.  If our man gets in, their lying there in full view like that will prove a tempting bait, and—­well, he’ll find there’s a hook behind it.  I shall be there waiting for him.  Now go and join the ladies, you and Miss Lorne, and act as though nothing out of the common was in the wind.  My men and I will stop here, and you had better put out the light and lock us in, so that there may be no danger of anybody finding out that we are here.  No doubt Miss Wyvern and her sister will go to bed earlier than usual on this particular occasion.  Let them do so.  Send the servants to bed, too.  You and Miss Lorne go to your beds at the same time as the others—­or, at least, let them think that you have done so; then come down and let us out.”

To this Sir Horace assented, and, taking Miss Lorne with him, went at once to the picture-gallery and joined his daughters, with whom they remained until eleven o’clock.  Promptly at that hour, however, the house was locked up, the bride-elect and her sister went to bed—­the servants having already gone to theirs—­and stillness settled down over the darkened house.  At the end of a dozen minutes, however, it was faintly disturbed by the sound of slippered feet coming along the passage outside the consulting-room, then a key slipped into the lock, the door was opened, the light switched on, and Sir Horace and Miss Lorne appeared before the eager watchers.

“Now, then, lively, my men—­look sharp!” whispered Narkom.  “A man to each window and each staircase, so that nobody may go up or down or in or out without dropping into the arms of one of you.  Confine your attention to this particular floor, and if you hear anybody coming, lay low until he’s within reach, and you can drop on him before he bolts.  Is this the door of the picture-gallery, Sir Horace?”

“Yes,” answered Sir Horace, as he fitted a key to the lock.  “But surely you will need more men than you have brought, Mr. Narkom, if it is your intention to guard every window individually, for there are four to this room—­see!”