us loitered in the tobacco
shop. Then he went out. All at once it struck him that he should have kept
his eyes on Quade's partner. He should have followed him. With the hope of
seeing him again he walked up and down the street. It was eleven o'clock
when he went into Big Ben's pool-room. Five minutes later he came out just
as a woman hurried past him, carrying with her a strong scent of perfume.
It was the Lady of the Bear. She was in a street dress now, her glossy
curls still falling loose about her--probably homeward bound after her
night's harvest. It struck Aldous that the hour was early for her
retirement, and that she seemed somewhat in a hurry.

The woman was going in the direction of Rann's big log bungalow, which was
built well out of town toward the river. She had not seen him as he stood
in the pool-room doorway, and before she had passed out of sight he was
following her. There were a dozen branch trails and "streets" on the way to
Rann's, and into the gloom of some one of these the woman disappeared, so
that Aldous lost her entirely. He was not disappointed when he found she
had left the main trail.

Five minutes later he stood close to Rann's house. From the side on which
he had approached it was dark. No gleam of light showed through the
windows. Slowly he walked around the building, and stopped suddenly on the
opposite side. Here a closely drawn curtain was illuminated by a glow from
within. Cautiously Aldous made his way along the log wall of the house
until he came to the window. At one side the curtain had caught against
some object, leaving perhaps a quarter of an inch of space through which
the light shone. Aldous brought his eyes on a level with this space.

A half of the room came within his vision. Directly in front of him,
lighted by a curiously shaped iron lamp suspended from the ceiling, was a
dull red mahogany desk-table. At one side of this, partly facing him, was
Culver Rann. Opposite him sat Quade.

Rann was speaking, while Quade, with his bullish shoulders hunched forward
and his fleshy red neck, rolling over the collar of his coat, leaned across
the table in a tense and listening attitude. With his eyes glued to the
aperture, Aldous strained his ears to catch what Rann was saying. He heard
only the low and unintelligible monotone of his voice. A mocking smile was
accompanying Rann's words. To-night, as at all times, this hawk who preyed
upon human lives was immaculate. In all ways but