The sudden stopping hurled the detectives to the floor, but they quickly scrambled to their feet, overjoyed at their salvation.

For an instant neither could speak.

To be so suddenly snatched from the very jaws of death was such a strain upon their nerves that they could hardly stand it.

Old King Brady was the first to recover, and glancing upward he saw that their enemy had disappeared from the beam overhead.

“By thunder!” he exclaimed.  “La Croix is baffled!”

“I never expected such good luck,” replied Harry, delightedly.

“The car is holding, all right.”

“Yes, but how are we to get out of it?”

They were caught midway between the second and third floors.

But the parting of the cable had been detected by the engineer and the conductor of an ascending car in the next shaft as the falling elevator flew down past him, and help was coming.

As the news spread, people flocked out in the hall, filled with dread lest the two officers had been killed.

They peered down the shafts through the grill work and when some saw the car, a shout of relief went up, and a man yelled at the Bradys: 

“Were you hurt?”

“No.  We are all right, so far.”

“Wait, and we’ll have the car lowered.”

Up came men with ropes, and the end of a line was passed down from the floor above the car and Old King Brady made it fast.

When the danger of the car falling was obviated, another gang secured the cut cable, passed it over the drum, brought it down to the roof of the car and spliced it to the piece remaining there.

The elevator was then lowered to the ground floor and opening the door the detectives passed out, none the worse for their adventure.

A crowd of anxious people surrounded them, but they quickly avoided them by dodging into another car and saying to the conductor: 

“Top floor—­quick!”

Bang! went the gate and up they shot.

Reaching the upper story the detectives made a rush for the room La Croix had been occupying and found it empty.

“The birds have flown!” muttered Old King Brady in disgust.

“No wonder.  We were caged up in the elevator so long they had ample time.”

“They may have left some clew behind.  Let us search the room.”

This was done, and in the slop basin they found a letter torn up in small pieces.

Harry carefully gathered up the fragments and put them in his pocketbook.

“It’s written in French,” he commented, “but it may be of some use.  I’ll put the pieces together and we’ll have it translated.”

They failed to find anything else and went downstairs.

Returning to the clerk, they asked if La Croix had been seen.

“He did not come out this way,” replied the man, shaking his head.

“Sure?”

“Positive!”