ued, as though Mortimer had not
spoken. "I don't feel at all sure that they are."

The atmosphere was getting a trifle heated, thought Desmond. If
he judged Mortimer aright, he was not the man to let himself be
dictated to by anybody. He was wondering how the scene would end
when suddenly something caught his eye that took his mind right
away from the events going forward in the room.

Opposite him, across the library, was a French window across
which the curtains had been drawn. One of the curtains, however,
had got looped up on a chair so that there was a gap at the
bottom of the window showing the pane.

In this gap was a face pressed up against the glass. To his
astonishment Desmond recognized the weather-beaten features of
the odd man, Mr. John Hill. The face remained there only for a
brief instant. The next moment it was gone and Desmond's
attention was once more claimed by the progress of the
conference.

"Do I understand that you refuse to serve under me any longer?"
Mortimer was saying to Behrend, who had risen from the settee and
stood facing him.

"As long as you continue to behave as you are doing at present,"
replied the other, "you may understand that!"

Mortimer made a quick dive for his pocket. In an instant Max had
jumped at him and caught his arm.

"Don't be a fool!" he cried, "for Gawd's sake, put it away,
carn't yer? D 'you want the 'ole ruddy plice abart our ears?"

"I'll have no disobedience of orders," roared Mortimer,
struggling with the other. In his fist he had a big automatic
pistol. It was a prodigious weapon, the largest pistol that
Desmond had ever seen.

"He threatened him, he threatened him!" screamed No. 13 jumping
about on his stool.

"Take it away from him, Max, for Heaven's sake!" cried the lady.

Everybody was talking at once. The noise was so loud that Desmond
wondered whether old Martha would hear the din. He sat in his
chair by the door, a silent witness of the scene. Then suddenly,
at the height of the hubbub, he heard the faint humming of a
motor-car. It lasted for perhaps thirty seconds, then gradually
died away.

"What did it mean?" he asked himself. The only living being he
knew of outside was John Hill, the odd man, whose face he had
just seen; the only car was Mortimer's. Had the odd man gone off
in Mortimer's car? He was thankful to note that, in the din, none
save him seemed to have heard the car.

By this time Mortimer had put up his pistol and Mrs. M