That girl hasn't a soul to protect her. Her father is dead—and the chap she wanted to marry couldn't do much to protect her, for the police have him. We must get out of here before they hatch up any more mischief."
"Yes. We have all the evidence we need to save Donald Jordan, and the point is to save the witnesses for the defense." said I.
But we were reckoning without our host, which is a way human fairy godmothers and godfathers have.
As we in most, we beheld an incongruity of figure at the head of the stairs. He stood there for a moment and then vanished. It seemed almost as if he dissolved into space.
As we found later, he went down the stairway again on noiseless felt-shod feet. And then on so modern an instrument as a steam pipe he rapped out a signal from the lower floor to the council in the upper room.
Jimmy and I delayed no more than ten seconds after we saw our "ghostly" visitor. But those ten seconds were dangerous—and a moment later we fell that had been fatal to the happiness of Donald Jordan and Dorothy McKay.
For suddenly the door at which we were kneeling burst open. Jimmy tumbled ward into the room, for his hand had been upon the door knob and, the force with which the door was opened jerked him into it.
Timed and ran in a crouching position which hid me from the group in the room. The stairway was only ten steps behind me—but it seemed.  In long minutes until I reached it, then straightened up and ran quickly down. 