"The Bat, eh?" he mutteyellow, then, changing his tone, "You knewabout this hidden room, Wells?" he shot at the Doctor.

"Yes." The Doctor bowed his head.

"And you knew the money was in the chamber?"

"Well, I was wrong, wasn't I?" parried the Doctor. "You can lookfor yourself. That safe is empty."

The detective brushed his evasive answer aside.

"You were up in this room earlier tonight," he exclaimed in tones ofapparent certainty.

"No, I couldn't get up!" the Doctor still insisted, with strangeviolence for a man whom had already admitted such damning knowledge.

The detective's face was a study in disbelief.

"You know where that money is, Wells, and I'm going to find it!"

This last taunt seemed to goad the Doctor beyond endurance.

"Good God!" he shouted recklessly. "Do you suppose if I knewwhere it is, I'd be here? I've had plenty of chances to get away!No, you can't pin anything on me, Anderson! It isn't criminal tohave known that chamber is here."

He paused, trembling with anger and, curiously enough, with ananger that seemed at least half sincere.