there. A table was littered with objects suggesting
careful examination: a fine microscope in position; a centrifuge, Bunsen
burners, test-tubes; elsewhere other apparatus of a description to make
the uninitiated actively sympathetic with the presumable coming victim.

The point of the situation to Chester was that astonishing fact that
Burns could hear unmoved of the immediate departure of Ellen Lessing.
He made up his mind that this scientific enthusiast could not have
assimilated the dreadful news; he would try again.

"Red! Do you hear? She's going to-morrow--tomorrow!"

"Let her go. Don't bother me."

"I don't mean Pauline. Ellen's going, too."

Burns put up one sinewy hand and thrust it through his hair, which
already stood on end. His collar was off and he wore a laboratory apron:
his appearance was not prepossessing. He pulled a piece of paper toward
him and began to make rapid lines. It was the snake again, in worse
convulsions than before. Evidently he had not heard. Chester approached
the desk.

"Red!" he shouted. "The patient isn't on the table yet: he won't die
if you listen to me one minute. I want you to take this thing in. Mrs.
Lessing--"

Knocking the sketch to one side and precipitating three books and a mass
of papers to the floor, Red stood up. He towered above his shrinking
fiend, wrath in his eye. His lips moved. If it had been three months
earlier Chester would have expected to hear language of a lurid
description. As it was, the first syllable or two did slip out, but
no more followed. Only speech--good, vigorous Saxon, not to be
misunderstood.

"Will you try to get it into your brain that I don't care a hang who
goes or where, so long as I figure out a way to do this trick? The other
fellows all say it can't be done. Not one of 'em'll do it, not even Van
Horn. I say it can, and I'm going to do it to-morrow morning at nine
o'clock, if I can work out a tool to do it with and make it. And I can
do that if idiots like you will get out and keep out."

He sat down and was instantly lost again in his effort at invention.
Chester looked at him in silence for a minute more, then he walked
quietly out. Offended? Not he. He had not listened to invective from
that Celtic tongue for eight years not to know that high tension over a
coming critical operation almost invariably meant brilliant success.
But even he had never seen Red Pepper keyed up quite so taut as this. It
must be a tremendous risk