nd tighter. Choking now, M'Ginnis felt fingers on his naked
throat, iron fingers that clutched cruelly, and in this painful grip was
whirled, choking, against the wall and thence borne down and down. And
now M'Ginnis, lying helpless across his opponent's knee, stared up into
a face pale but grimly joyous, lips that curled back from gnashing white
teeth--eyes that glared merciless. So Ravenslee bent M'Ginnis back
across his knee and choked him there awhile, then suddenly relaxed his
hold and let M'Ginnis sink, gasping, to the floor.

"A little--rough, Mr. Flowers," he panted, "a trifle--rough with you--I
fear--but I want you--to know that you--shall not utter--her name--in my
presence. Now the key--I prefer door to window--the key, Mr.
Flowers--ah, here it is!" So saying, Ravenslee stood upright, and wiping
blood and sweat from him with his sleeve, turned to the door. "One other
thing, Mr. Flowers; have the goodness to take off your neckerchief next
time, or I--may strangle you outright."

Halfway down the passage Ravenslee turned to see Murder close on his
heels. Once he smote and twice, but nothing might stay that bull-like
rush and, locked in a desperate clinch, he was borne back and back,
their trampling lost in the universal din about them, as reeling,
staggering, they crashed out through wrecked and splintered door and,
still locked together, were swallowed in the night beyond.

Thus the Spider, crouching in the dark beneath the broken window with
Spike beside him, was presently aware of the sickening sounds of furious
struggling close at hand, and of a hoarse, panting voice that cursed in
fierce triumph--a voice that ended all at once in a ghastly strangling
choke; and recognising this voice, the Spider hunched his great
shoulders and bore Spike to a remote spot where stood a solitary
lamp-post. Here he waited, calm-eyed and chewing placidly, one arm about
the fretful Spike.

Presently Ravenslee joined them; the shabby hat was gone, and there was
a smear of blood upon his cheek, also he laboured in his breathing, but
his eyes were joyous.

"Bo, what about Bud?"

"Oh, he's lying around somewhere."

"Hully Chee--d' ye mean--"

"He tried gouging first, but I expected that; then he tried to throttle
me, but I throttled a little harder. He's an ugly customer, as you said,
but"--Ravenslee laughed and glanced at his bloody knuckles--"I don't
think he'll be keen to rough it with me again just yet."

"Bo, I gues