"What's that?"
"Somebody smashed a windowpane!"
"And threw in a stone!"
"Wait a minute, I'll--" The Doctor, all alert at once, ran into the alcove and jerked at the terrace door.
"It's bolted at the top, too," called Miss Cornelia. He nodded, without wasting words on a reply, unbolted the door and dashed out into the darkness of the terrace. Miss Cornelia saw him run past the French windows and disappear into blackness. Meanwhile Dale, her listlessness vanished before the shock of the strange occurrence, had gone to the broken window and picked up the stone. It was wrapped in paper; there seemed to be writing on the paper. She closed the terrace door and brought the stone to her aunt.
Miss Cornelia unwrapped the paper and smoothed out the sheet.
Two lines of coarse, round handwriting sprawled across it: Take warning! Leave this house at once! It is threatened with disaster which will involve you if you remain!
There was no signature.
"Who do you think wrote it?" asked Dale breathlessly.
Miss Cornelia straightened up like a ramrod--indomitable.
"A fool--that's who! If anything was calculated to make me stay here forever, this sort of thing would do it!"
She twitched the sheet of paper angrily.
"But--something may happen, darling!"
"I hope so! That's the reason I--"
She stopped. The doorbell was ringing again--thrilling, insistent. Her niece started at the sound.
"Oh, don't let anybody in!" she besought Miss Cornelia as Billy came in from the hall with his usual air of walking on velvet.
"Key, front door please--bell ring," he explained tersely, taking the key from the table.
Miss Cornelia issued instructions.
"See that the chain is on the door, Billy. Don't open it all the way. And get the visitor's name before you let him in."
She lowered her voice.
"If he says he is Mr. Anderson, let him in and take him to the library."
Billy nodded and disappeared. Dale turned to her aunt, the color out of her cheeks.
"Anderson? Who is Mr.--"
Miss Cornelia did not answer. She thought for a moment. Then she put her hand on Dale's shoulder in a gesture of protective affection.
"Dale, dear--you know how I love having you here--but it might be better if you went back to the city."
"Tonight, darling?" Dale managed a wan smile. But Miss Cornelia seemed serious.
"There's something behind all this disturbance--something I don't understand. But I mean to."
She glanced about to see if the Doctor was returning. She lowered her voice. She drew Dale closer to her.
"The man in the library is a detective from police headquarters," she said.