all, everything, she herself, at their mercy already? If she
had telephoned, Jason would have left a message on his desk--he would
look there first--afterward he would waken Jason.

He gained the door of his den on the first landing, a room that ran the
entire length of one side of the house from front to rear, burst in,
switched on the light---and stood stock-still in amazement.

"Jason!" he cried out.

The old butler, fully dressed, rubbing and blinking his eyes at the
light, and with a startled cry, rose up from the depths of a lounging
chair.

"Jason!" exclaimed Jimmie Dale again.

"I beg pardon, sir, Master Jim," stammered the man. "I--I must have
fallen asleep, sir."

"Jason, what are you doing here?" Jimmie Dale demanded sharply.

"Well, sir," said Jason, still fumbling for his words, "it--it was the
telephone, sir."

"The--TELEPHONE!"

"Yes, sir. A woman, begging your pardon, Master Jim, a lady, sir, has
been telephoning every hour or so, and she--"

"YES!" Jimmie Dale had jumped across the room and had caught the other
fiercely by the shoulder. "Yes--yes! What did she say? QUICK, man!"

"Good Lord, Master Jim!" faltered Jason. "I--she--"

"Jason," said Jimmie Dale, suddenly as cold as ice, "what did she say?
Think, man! Every word!"

"She didn't say anything, Master Jim. Nothing at all, sir--except to
keep asking each time if she could speak to you."

"Nothing else, Jason?"

"No, sir."

"You are SURE?"

"I'm sure, Master Jim. Not another thing but that, sir, just as I've
told you."

"Thank God!" said Jimmie Dale, in a low voice.

"Yes, sir," said Jason mechanically.

"How long ago was it since she telephoned last?" asked Jimmie Dale
quickly.

"Well, sir, I couldn't rightly say. You see, as I said, Master Jim, I
must have gone to sleep, but--"

They were staring tensely into each other's face. The telephone on the
desk was ringing vibrantly, clamourously, through the stillness of the
room.

Jason, white, frightened, bewildered, touched his lips with the tip of
his tongue.

"That'll be her again, sir," he said hoarsely.

"Wait!" said Jimmie Dale tersely.

He was trying to think, to think faster than he had ever thought before.
He could not tell Jason to say that he had not yet come in--THEY knew he
was in, it would be but showing his hand to that "some one" who would
be listening now on the wire. He dared not speak to her, or, above all,
allow her to expose herself by a singl