who was looking with dull unseeing
eyes at the table, "has an important errand at his home. His home
is in Pleasantville, N.Y. That is not far from New York City. We
are really perplexed as to whether we ought to let him go."
Justice Higginbotham nervously clenched his fist until the
knuckles showed white.

"This is ghastly, Professor. Let me put it bluntly. Here we are,
eleven old comrades, and we are--shall I say it--suspicious of one
another. There, you have it, but it is the simple truth. Perhaps
all of us do not share this unworthy feeling." He smiled grimly
and continued:

"We are old men. In this state of mind, if it continues and grows
as it must, unless this damnable mess is cleared up, we will all
die shortly without the aid of murder."

McGuire stood up abruptly and took several paces back and forth.
He growled:

"Yes, it's hellish. We don't like the idea of Flynn going off by
himself and at the same time we are all afraid to stay here. That
damn Tontine policy. If not for that we would not--"

His sentence was left unfinished. Several of the old heads nodded
in agreement. Flynn looked up. With an air of obviously false
bravado he exclaimed:

"What the hell is there to be afraid of? And suppose I do follow
the others? I told you when I came three days ago that I could not
spend the week. I just have to attend to this matter." He shook
his head stubbornly. "If we take this attitude--we are men, aren't
we. Can't we protect ourselves, now that we know definitely of the
danger. Or aren't we exaggerating the danger?"

Mr. Marshall said gently.

"But it is not altogether our fear for your safety, Bill, that is
in our minds. It is--let us put it frankly--"

McGuire interrupted.

"Oh, go on, say it, Hank, say it! It is fear of one another as
well as fear for one another. Is that it?"

Marshall nodded. Jimmy tingled at this scene. There was an
electric tension that might result in--almost anything. McGuire
continued:

"Stay here, Flynn, stay here until this thing is cleaned up."

Flynn got out of his seat. He picked up a light top coat and hat
that had been on the arm of his chair.

"Well, I've got to go and that's that. You all know I've got to
go. If you're afraid of me, send a guard along. If you're afraid
for me, the same guard can do your business."

Justice Higginbotham turned to McCall.

"Mr. McCall, see to it that Flynn is guarded from the moment he
steps foot in New York. We will see