"
Quest frowned a little gloomily. He rose to his feet and moved restlessly
about the room.
"Say, girls," he confessed, "this is the first time in my life I have been
in a fix like this. Two cases on hand and nothing doing with either of
them. Criminologist, indeed! I guess I'd better go over to England and
take a job at Scotland Yard. That's about what I'm fit for. Whose box is
this?"
Quest had paused suddenly in front of an oak sideboard which stood against
the wall. Occupying a position upon it of some prominence was a small
black box, whose presence there seemed to him unfamiliar. Laura came over
to his side and looked at it also in puzzled fashion.
"Never saw it before in my life," she answered. "Say, kid, is this yours?"
she added, turning to Lenora.
Lenora shook her head. She, too, examined it a little wonderingly.
"It wasn't there a short time ago. I brought a duster and went over the
sideboard myself."
Quest grunted.
"H'm! No one else has been in the room, and it hasn't been empty for more
than ten minutes," he remarked. "Well, let's see what's inside, any way."
"Just be careful, Mr. Quest," Laura advised. "I don't get that box at
all."
Quest pushed it with his forefinger.
"No bomb inside, any way," he remarked. "Here goes!"
He lifted off the lid. There was nothing in the interior but a sheet of
paper folded up. Quest smoothed it out with his hand. They all leaned over
and read the following words, written in an obviously disguised hand:
"You have embarked on a new study--anthropology.
Pages:
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75