The boys came to their feet with a bound and hurried from their
room on the ground floor, while the others appeared at the head
of the stairs.
"What is it?" asked Donald as soon as he could quiet the
shrieking maid. "What are you yelling about?"
"Oh, senor!" she cried. "I have seen the devil."
"Nonsense," laughed the boy. "You had a nightmare."
"No, senor. It was the devil. He had horns and a tail and he had
the little box under his arm. I saw him!"
"The box!" cried Billie. "Quick, Lucia, look and see if the box
is gone!"
The girl rushed back into the library and she, too, gave a
shriek.
"It's gone!" she cried. "It's gone!"
The boys sprang up the stairs three at a time and into the
library. Lucia was right. The box was gone.
"It must be the old boy, sure enough," said Billie, "or at least
one of his imps." Then to the maid: "How did he get in?"
"I don't know, senor. I only saw him go out. He went right
through the door without opening it."
"Nonsense!" from Donald. "His Satanic majesty might go through
a solid door, but the box wouldn't. There is some other
explanation."
"But who could it be?" queried Lucia in great fear.
"Some one who knows the house," declared Adrian emphatically.
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