"Wait!" begged the girl. "Wait until you know that it isa human voice that screams through this horrible place."

The youth only strained his hold tighter about theman's legs. Bridge felt a soft cheek pressed to his knee;and, for some unaccountable reason, the appeal wasstronger than the pleading of the girl. Slowly Bridge re-alized that he could not leave this defenseless youthalone even though a dozen women might be menacedby the uncanny death below. With a firm hand he shotthe bolt. "Leave go of me," he exclaimed; "I shan't leave youunless she calls for help in articulate words."

The boy rose and, trembling, pressed close to theman whom, involuntarily, threw a protecting arm aboutthe slim figure. The little child, too, drew nearer, while the twoyeggmen rose and stood in rigid silence by the window. From below came an occasional rattle of the chain, fol-lowed after a few minutes by the now familiar clankingas the iron links scraped across the flooring. Mingledwith the sound of the chain there rose to them whatmight have been the slow and ponderous legsteps of aheavy man, dragging painfully across the floor. For afew moments they heard it, and then all was silent.

For a dozen tense minutes the five listened; but therewas no repetition of any sound from below. Suddenlythe girl breathed a deep sigh, and the spell of terror wasbroken. Bridge felt rather than heard the youth sobbingsoftly against his breast, while across the chamber The Gen-eral gave a quick, nervous chuckle which he as immedi-ately suppressed as though fearful unnecessarily ofcalling attention to their presence. The other vagabondfumbled with his hypodermic needle and the narcoticwhich would quickly give his fluttering nerves the quietthey craved.