26(5 STRAY-AWAYS 



" Indeed it's not all out as clean as I do mostly have 



it '■ she began, and the next moment a dexterous 



shove thrust her inside the door, almost throwing her 

 on her face. As she recovered hei-self she heard the 

 key turn in the door, and it seemed, even to her un- 

 tutored mind, that ^Ii^s. Nolan had pecuhar ideas in 

 the matter of a practical joke. She. however, bui-st 

 out laughing and called to her guest to release her. 

 There was not a somid in response, except a soft 

 hmT^ing of feet in the passage outside the kitchen. 



*' \Miat the de^il is she making a fool of me this 

 way for ? '' Kate exclaimed, shaking the door. 



She stopped to listen, and heard the door into the 

 back garden open and close, and inunediately after 

 the kitchen staircase creaked as some one passed up it. 

 Ha^'incr aorain unsuccessfullv called the facetious Mi*s. 

 Nolan, an idea occurred to her. The kitchen cleaver 

 lay on a shelf, ^^ith it she ripped a corner of the sheet of 

 zinc from its fastening, forced her arm through, got 

 the tips of her fingei-s on the key. turned it with an 

 effort, and walked out into the kitchen with a gi'in 

 appropriate to 3Ii^. Nolan's strange outburst of 

 humour. 



Mi's. Nolan was not there, and as Kate stood in 

 bewilderment, there came a muffled trampling of feet 

 in the room overhead, hea^y, confused, and yet 

 strenuous. Her heart gave a thud, and she ran for 

 the stairs with legs that were suddenly weak. From 

 that moment fear fell upon her. ungoverned, and, as 

 it seemed to her, paralysing, though her body was 

 running at top speed to reach the hall door and escape 

 from it. As she gained the hall there was a crash of 

 fallincr furnitiuc in the dining-room, and a shout for 

 help that broke out half stifled, and was stifled again. 

 From the open door of the dining-room Mi*. McKenzie's 

 strugghng head and arms appeared, with blood running 



