“Guess they must have gone up there,” the lad muttered.

He moved up the steps just as Lord Hastings and Jack hove in sight around the corner.  They pulled up at Frank’s side.

“Where did they go?” demanded Lord Hastings.

“I don’t know,” replied Frank, “unless they went in this house.”

“We’ll have a look,” said Lord Hastings briefly, and mounted the steps.

Frank and Jack followed him.

Lord Hastings turned the knob and the door opened easily.

“Look out, sir,” warned Frank.  “They’re liable to take a shot at you from some place.”

Lord Hastings did not reply, but issued orders rapidly.

“Frank, you take the rear door.  If it’s locked the chances are they are in the house.  Jack, hunt the door to the basement and stand guard there, also keeping an eye on this door if possible.  I’ll try and round them up.”

The two lads nodded their understanding of these orders.  Jack found a door leading to the basement, in the hall, fortunately still in view of the front door.  Frank dashed to the rear of the house and found the back door still locked.

“They must be in here, then,” declared Lord Hastings.

He examined his revolver carefully and then, holding it ready for instant use, entered the front room.  There was no one there.

In vain Lord Hastings explored all the downstairs rooms.  There was no one to be found.  He came again into the hall.

“Must be upstairs,” he said to Jack as he passed him.

He mounted the stairs rapidly, though cautiously.  In the first room he entered he found nothing.  The door of the second room was shut.  Lord Hastings laid a hand on the knob and turned it.  The door opened easily and Lord Hastings stepped over the threshold.

And even as he would have moved into the room a hand, gripping the barrel of a revolver, was raised in the air and descended violently in the direction of Lord Hastings’ head.  Fortunately the latter caught the glint of steel and whirled in time to dodge the blow and grasp the arm that delivered it.  At the same time he shouted: 

“Frank!  Jack!  Upstairs!”

Then he gave his entire attention to his foes, of whom he now found, there were two.  Lord Hastings recognized the man whose arm he grasped as Davis.  Blosberg, with levelled revolver, was circling about the struggling figures, seeking an opportunity to shoot Lord Hastings without wounding Davis.

With a mighty effort Lord Hastings lifted Davis clear of his feet and, exerting tremendous strength, swung him around.  There was a sound of a thud, and Davis’ figure dropped limply to the floor.  His head had come in contact with the solid wall.

At the same moment Blosberg fired and Lord Hastings felt a stinging sensation in his left shoulder.

He staggered back.

Blosberg took advantage of this and darted out the door just as Frank appeared at the top of the steps.  Both raised their revolvers at the same moment, but Blosberg was the first to fire.