“He may be watching me now.”

He went close to the window.  Something rapped smartly against the brickwork over the frame, and made him start violently back.

“I’m getting nervous,” said Kemp.  But it was five minutes before he went to the window again.  “It must have been a sparrow,” he said.

Presently he heard the front-door bell ringing, and hurried downstairs.  He unbolted and unlocked the door, examined the chain, put it up, and opened cautiously without showing himself.  A familiar voice hailed him.  It was Adye.

“Your servant’s been assaulted, Kemp,” he said round the door.

“What!” exclaimed Kemp.

“Had that note of yours taken away from her.  He’s close about here.  Let me in.”

Kemp released the chain, and Adye entered through as narrow an opening as possible.  He stood in the hall, looking with infinite relief at Kemp refastening the door.  “Note was snatched out of her hand.  Scared her horribly.  She’s down at the station.  Hysterics.  He’s close here.  What was it about?”

Kemp swore.

“What a fool I was,” said Kemp.  “I might have known.  It’s not an hour’s walk from Hintondean.  Already?”

“What’s up?” said Adye.

“Look here!” said Kemp, and led the way into his study.  He handed Adye the Invisible Man’s letter.  Adye read it and whistled softly.  “And you—?” said Adye.

“Proposed a trap—­like a fool,” said Kemp, “and sent my proposal out by a maid servant.  To him.”

Adye followed Kemp’s profanity.

“He’ll clear out,” said Adye.

“Not he,” said Kemp.

A resounding smash of glass came from upstairs.  Adye had a silvery glimpse of a little revolver half out of Kemp’s pocket.  “It’s a window, upstairs!” said Kemp, and led the way up.  There came a second smash while they were still on the staircase.  When they reached the study they found two of the three windows smashed, half the room littered with splintered glass, and one big flint lying on the writing table.  The two men stopped in the doorway, contemplating the wreckage.  Kemp swore again, and as he did so the third window went with a snap like a pistol, hung starred for a moment, and collapsed in jagged, shivering triangles into the room.

“What’s this for?” said Adye.

“It’s a beginning,” said Kemp.

“There’s no way of climbing up here?”

“Not for a cat,” said Kemp.

“No shutters?”

“Not here.  All the downstairs rooms—­Hullo!”

Smash, and then whack of boards hit hard came from downstairs.  “Confound him!” said Kemp.  “That must be—­yes—­it’s one of the bedrooms.  He’s going to do all the house.  But he’s a fool.  The shutters are up, and the glass will fall outside.  He’ll cut his feet.”

Another window proclaimed its destruction.  The two men stood on the landing perplexed.  “I have it!” said Adye.  “Let me have a stick or something, and I’ll go down to the station and get the bloodhounds put on.  That ought to settle him!  They’re hard by—­not ten minutes—­”