by Mary Roberts Rinehart and Avery Hopwood

“ A FEW moments later Jack Bailey, seeing a thin glow of candle-light from the attic above and hearing Lizzie's protesting voice, made his way up there. He found them in the trunk-room, a dusty, dingy apartment lined with high closets along the walls—the floor littered with an incongruous assortment of attic objects—two battered trunks, a clothes hamper, an old sewing machine, a broken-backed kitchen-chair, two dilapidated suitcases and a shabby satchel that might once have been a woman's dressing-case—in one corner a grimy fireplace in which, obviously, no fire had been lighted for years. ”

“ But Jack Bailey said nothing at all. One glance had shown him that the safe was empty.
The tragic collapse of all their hopes was almost more than they could bear. Coming on top of the nerve-racking events of the night, it left them dazed and direction-less. It was, of course, Miss Cornelia who recovered first.
"Even without the money," she said; "the mere presence of this safe here, hidden away, tells the story. The fact that someone else knew and got here first cannot alter that."
But she could not cheer them. It was Lizzie who created a diversion. ”

“ But she stirred herself and got up. "I'd better get the smelling salts," she said heavily. "God knows I hate to move, but if there's one place safer in this house than another, I've yet to find it."
She went out, leaving Dale alone. The trunk-room was dark, save that now and then as the candle appeared and reappeared the doorway was faintly outlined. ”