DOCTOR RUSHWOOD'S SANITARIUM.
Mrs. Vernon's house was built in the shape of a letter L, the lady's
wing containing the library and business office downstairs and private
apartments on the second floor.
When Robert let himself into the house he entered the library to find
out if the lady had yet returned.
Nothing was disturbed, and he was about to walk into the business
office, when on looking out on the street he saw Frederic Vernon
standing behind a nearby tree, watching the mansion closely.
"Hullo," cried Robert to himself. "What is he up to now?"
At first he thought to go out and hail Vernon, but quickly changed his
mind.
"I'll get nothing out of him by questioning him," he reasoned. "It
will pay far better to watch him and see what he does and where he
goes."
A few minutes after our hero had discovered Vernon, he saw the
spendthrift hurry swiftly for the wing of the house and try the window
to the business office.
The sash was locked, but by inserting a knife blade between the upper
and lower sashes he was enabled to push the catch back.
This done the lower sash was raised, and Frederic Vernon crawled into
the business office as silently as a cat.
"He is up to no good," said our hero to himself. "I believe he is here
to steal something."
There was a large Turkish chair handy, and Robert crouched behind
this, that Frederic Vernon might not see him should he take a peep
into the library.
"Don't seem to be anybody around," he heard Vernon mutter, as he
looked into the library. "Frost must be off trying to hunt the old
woman up."
Vernon tiptoed his way to Mrs. Vernon's desk, and, unlocking it, slid
back the roller top.
The movement surprised Robert, for he had thought that only Mrs.
Vernon and himself had keys to the desk.
"Perhaps he is using Mrs. Vernon's key," he thought.
With great rapidity Frederic Vernon went through several drawers full
of papers.
"Pshaw! The papers must be in the safe," he murmured, and leaving the
desk he approached the safe, which stood in a corner. Getting down on
his knees he began to work at the combination.
"Thirty-five twice, twelve three times," he murmured, repeating what
had once been the combination of the lock.
But Mrs. Vernon had had Robert to change the combination just before
starting for England, and consequently Frederic Vernon failed to get
the door open.
He fussed with the combination for a quarter of an hour, getting more
angry over his failure every minute.
"Confound the luck, they must have changed it," he muttered. "I wish I
dared to tackle Frost about it. But I am not quite ready for that.
Perhaps I can make her give me the combination."
Robert did not hear the last words, yet he felt pretty certain that
Frederic Vernon was responsible for his aunt's disappearance, and knew
where she was.
He was half of a mind to call in a policeman, yet he was afraid that
Vernon might in some manner give the officer of the law the slip.
"And if he is locked up now he may deny knowing anything about his
aunt," was the boy's conclusion.
At last Vernon left the safe and went to the desk once more. Here he
selected several papers and rammed them in his pocket. Then, without
warning, he slipped out of the window again, closed the sash, and
started down the street at a brisk pace.
"I'll follow him," said Robert to himself. "And I won't leave him out
of sight until I've found out what has become of Mrs. Vernon."
Running into the upper hallway Robert saw on a rack an old overcoat he
had once worn and a slouch hat which had belonged to another inmate of
the mansion.
He donned these, pulling the hat far down over his forehead, and the
coat up around his neck. Then he put on a pair of blue glasses which
Mrs. Vernon had used on the sea voyage to protect her eyes from the
glare of the sun on the water.
Thus partially disguised, he made after Frederic Vernon, who had now
reached the block below the house.
Here Vernon took a passing car and took a seat inside.
Running rapidly, Robert managed to catch the car, and took a position
on the rear platform, with his back to the interior, that the young
spendthrift might not see his face.
The car was one running well on toward the southern outskirts of
Chicago, and Vernon remained in it until the very end of the line was
gained.
Then he walked on once more, with Robert still dogging his footsteps,
but so carefully that the young man never suspected he was being
followed. Once he looked back, but our hero promptly stepped out of
sight behind a nearby billboard.
In this district the houses were much scattered, and most of them were
surrounded by large gardens.
Frederic Vernon passed into a side street which was little better than
a road, and soon reached a large square building of stone, set in a
perfect wilderness of trees and bushes. A high iron fence surrounded
the ill-kept garden, and the single iron gate was locked.
Ringing a bell at the gate, Frederic Vernon thus summoned a porter,
who came, and after asking him a few questions, let him in.
Approaching the gate, Robert saw a sign over it, in gilt letters,
which read in this fashion:
Dr. Nicholas Rushwood,
Private Sanitarium for the Weak-Minded.
Peering through the ironwork, our hero saw Frederic Vernon follow the
porter up the steps of the stone building and disappear inside.
"This must be the place to which Mrs. Vernon has been taken," thought
Robert.
He waited at the gate for awhile to see if Frederic Vernon would come
out, but the young spendthrift failed to put in an appearance.
The sanitarium was located on a corner, and ran from one street to the
next, so that our hero could walk around three sides of the place. On
the other side was a high stone wall, which separated the asylum
grounds from those of a well-kept garden.
All of the windows on the second and third stories of the stone
building were very closely barred.
"They must keep the patients up there," concluded Robert.
He gazed sharply at each window, but though he saw several men and
women, he did not catch sight of Mrs. Vernon.
Presently a butcher boy came along the back street, a large basket on
his arm.
"Can you tell me what place this is?" questioned Robert.
"That's Dr. Rushwood's asylum for crazy folks," answered the butcher
boy.
"Has he many patients?"
"Ten or a dozen, I believe."
"Were you ever inside of the place?"
"I used to deliver meat there. But our firm don't serve him any more."
"And what kind of a place is it?"
"It's a gloomy hole, and the doctor is a terror."
"A terror? What do you mean by that?"
"He's awfully strict and awfully mean. Some folks say he don't give
the crazy folks half enough to eat. He was always kicking about his
meat bill. That's the reason our firm stopped serving him."
"Did you see them taking anybody new into there lately?"
"No, but I heard Jack Mason telling that he saw them taking a woman in
there last night."
"A young woman or an elderly lady?"
"Jack said it was an oldish-looking woman, and said she was very
handsomely dressed."
"What time was this?"
"About six o'clock last night. They brought her in a coach, and two
men were with her. But what do you ask all these questions for?"
"I have my reasons. A lady has disappeared and I am looking for her."
"Christopher! Did they abduct her?"
"I don't know. I am much obliged to you," returned Robert, and to
avoid being questioned further he sauntered off. He did not go far,
however, and as soon as the butcher boy was gone, he returned to the
vicinity of the sanitarium.
It was now growing dusk, and watching his chance he climbed to the top
of the stone wall which divided the asylum grounds from that of the
garden next door. The top of the wall was rough, but with care he
managed to walk from one end to the other.
While he was on the wall he heard the gate bell ring, and crouched
down to get out of sight. The porter admitted two men, but who they
were Robert could not see.
From the wall Robert could easily look into the lower windows of the
building. One room into which he gazed was fitted up as a library, and
as he gazed into it the door opened and four men entered.
The four men were Frederic Vernon, Dr. Remington, and two others, the
keeper of the asylum and a second physician.