“Hartnoll was a creature of impulse.  In the excitement of the moment he forgot danger, and the dastardly nature of the crimes gave him more than his usual amount of courage.  He rushed at the chimney, and, regardless of soot and darkness, began an impromptu ascent.

“Half-way up something struck him—­once, twice, thrice,—­sharply, and there was a soft, malevolent chuckle.

“At this juncture the two undergraduates arrived in Brady’s room.  No one was there—­nothing save a hunched-up figure on a chair.

“‘Hartnoll!’ they whispered.  ‘Hartnoll!’ No reply.  They called again—­still no reply.  Again and again they called, until at length, through sheer fatigue, they desisted, and seized with a sudden panic fled precipitately downstairs and out into the quadrangle.

“Once more the alarm was given, and once again the whole College, wild with excitement, hastened to the scene of the outrage.

“This time there was a double mystery.  Brady had been murdered—­Hartnoll had disappeared.  The police were summoned and the whole building ransacked; but no one thought of the chimney till the search was nearly over, and half the throng—­overcome with fatigue—­had retired.  O’Farroll was the discoverer.  Happening to glance at the hearth he saw something drop.

“‘For Heaven’s sake, you fellows!’ he shouted.  ’Look!  Blood!  You may take it from me there’s a corpse in the chimney.’

“A dozen candles invaded the hearth, and a herculean policeman undertook the ascent.  In breathless silence the crowd below waited, and, after a few seconds of intense suspense, two helpless legs appeared on the hob.  Bit by bit, the rest of the body followed, until, at length, the whole figure of Hartnoll, black, bleeding, bloodstained, was disclosed to view.

“At first it was thought that he was dead; but the surgeon who had hurried to the scene pronouncing him still alive, there arose a tremendous cheer.  The murderer had at all events been foiled this time.

“‘Begorrah!’ cried O’Farroll, ’Hartnoll was after the murderer when he was struck, and shure I’ll be after him the same way myself.’  And before anyone could prevent him O’Farroll was up the chimney.  Up, up, up, until he found himself going down, down, down; and then—­bedad—­he stepped right out on to the floor of Belton’s room.

“‘Hulloa!’ the latter exclaimed, looking not a bit disconcerted, ’that’s a curious mode of making your entrance into my domain!  Why didn’t you come by the door?’

“‘Because,’ O’Farroll replied, pointing to a patch of soot near the washstand, ’I followed you.  Own up, Dicky Belton.  You’re the culprit—­you did for them all.’  And Belton laughed.

* * * * *