Steamboat Dan is aboard; he went out in the skiff he spoke of.

When he's tied her up and his gang's ashore, I'll wire the fat-witted one to come and claim his boat." Inspector Val never breathed a hint concerning Storri's ebon purpose of abduction, and how he meant to fire the Harley house and then kidnap Dorothy in the confusion certain to be an incident of flames and smoke at four o'clock in the morning.

This reticence arose from the delicacy of Inspector Val.

The relation could not fail to leave a most unpleasant impression upon Richard, and Inspector Val decided to suppress it for the nonce.
"I'll keep it a year and a day," thought Inspector Val; "then I'll tell him." Richard adopted the counsel of Inspector Val, and did not accompany that gentleman of secrets to Grant Place.

It was the half hour after midnight when Inspector Val climbed the Warmdollar steps, and strenuously pulled the bell.