nd his tongue. He said with effort, "Will you be good
enough to answer my question?"

"Certainly. Mr. Banneker, that was an ill-advised editorial. Or, rather,
an ill-timed one. I didn't wish it published until we had time to talk
it over."

"We could have talked it over yesterday."

"But I understood that you were busy with callers yesterday. That
charming Mrs. Eyre, who, by the way, is interested in the strikers,
isn't she? Or was it the day before yesterday that she was here?"

The Searchlight! And now Io Eyre! No doubt of what Marrineal meant. The
cold trickle had passed down Banneker's spine, and settled at his knees
making them quite unreliable. Inexplicably it still remained to paralyze
his tongue.

"We're reasonable men, you and I, Mr. Banneker," pursued Marrineal in
his quiet, detached tones. "This is the first time I have ever
interfered. You must do me the justice to admit that. Probably it will
be the last. But in this case it was really necessary. Shall we talk it
over later?"

"Yes," said Banneker listlessly.

In the hallway he ran into somebody, who cursed him, and then said, oh,
he hadn't noticed who it was; Pop Edmonds. Edmonds disappeared into
Marrineal's office. Banneker regained his desk and sat staring at the
killed proof. He thought vaguely that he could appreciate the sensation
of a man caught by an octopus. Yet Marrineal didn't look like an
octopus.... What did he look like? What was that subtle resemblance
which had eluded him in the first days of their acquaintanceship? That
emanation of chill quietude; those stagnant eyes?

He had it now! It dated back to his boyhood days. A crawling
terror which, having escaped from a menagerie, had taken refuge
in a pool, and there fixed its grip upon an unfortunate calf, and
dragged--dragged--dragged the shrieking creature, until it went under.
A crocodile.

His reverie was broken by the irruption of Russell Edmonds. An inch of
the stem of the veteran's dainty little pipe was clenched firmly between
his teeth; but there was no bowl.

"Where's the rest of your pipe?" asked Banneker, stupefied by this
phenomenon.

"I've resigned," said Edmonds.

"God! I wish I could," muttered Banneker.

CHAPTER XVI

Explanations were now due to two people, Io and Willis Enderby. As to
Io, Banneker felt an inner conviction of strength. Hopeless though he
was of making his course appear in any other light than that of
surrender, nevertheless he could