CHAPTER

       I Sanford Quest, criminologist
      II the apartment-house mystery
     III the hidden hands
      IV the pocket wireless
       V an old grudge
      VI on the rack
     VII the unseen terror
    VIII the house of mystery
      IX the inherited sin
       X lost in London
      XI the ship of horror
     XII A desert vengeance
    XIII ’Neath iron wheels
     XIV tongues of flame
      XV “A Bolt from the blue”
     XVI justice cheated

|--------------------------------------------------|
|                  The black box                   |
| ------------------------------------------------ |
|           Universal Photo Play Edition           |
| ------------------------------------------------ |
|                cast of characters                |
|                                                  |
| Sanford Quest                Herbert Rawlinson   |
|                                                  |
| Lenora MacDougal             Anna Little         |
|                                                  |
| Prof.  Ashleigh }                                 |
| Lord Ashleigh  }             William Worthington |
|                                                  |
| Lady Ashleigh                Helen Wright        |
|                                                  |
| John Craig                   Frank MacQuarrie    |
|                                                  |
| Laura, Quest’s assistant     Laura Oakley        |
|                                                  |
| Mrs. Bruce Rheinholdt        Hylda Sloman        |
|--------------------------------------------------|

THE BLACK BOX

CHAPTER I

SANFORD QUEST, CRIMINOLOGIST

The young man from the west had arrived in New York only that afternoon, and his cousin, town born and bred, had already embarked upon the task of showing him the great city.  They occupied a table in a somewhat insignificant corner of one of New York’s most famous roof-garden restaurants.  The place was crowded with diners.  There were many notabilities to be pointed out.  The town young man was very busy.

“See that bunch of girls on the right?” he asked.  “They are all from the chorus in the new musical comedy—­opens to-morrow.  They’ve been rehearsing every day for a month.  Some show it’s going to be, too.  I don’t know whether I’ll be able to get you a seat, but I’ll try.  I’ve had mine for a month.  The fair girl who is leaning back, laughing, now, is Elsie Havers.  She’s the star....  You see the old fellow with the girl, just in a line behind?  That’s Dudley Worth, the multi-millionaire, and at the next table there is Mrs. Atkinson—­you remember her divorce case?”

It was all vastly interesting to the young man from the west, and he looked from table to table with ever-increasing interest.