llis busied himself in preparing for
his great coup. First he went down again to EASTBOURNE via Brighton,
and coached Madeleine and Merriman in the part they were to play in the
coming interview. Next he superintended the making of the hole through
the wall dividing the two private rooms at the Cranbourne Street
restaurant, and drilled the party of men who were to occupy the annex.
To his unbounded satisfaction, he found that every word uttered at the
table in the larger room was audible next door to anyone standing at
the aperture. Then he detailed two picked men to wait within call of the
private room at the Gresham during the interview between Madeleine and
Beamish. Finally, all his preparations in London complete, he returned
to Hull, and set himself, by means of the secret telephone, to keep in
touch with the affairs of the syndicate.

CHAPTER 20. THE DOUBLE CROSS

Inspector Willis spent the Saturday before the fateful Tuesday at the
telephone in the empty cottage. Nothing of interest passed over the
wire, except that Benson informed his chief that he had had a telegram
from Beamish saying that, in order to reach Ferriby at the prearranged
hour, he was having to sail without a full cargo of props, and that
the two men went over again the various trains by which they and their
confederates would travel to London. Both items pleased Willis, as it
showed him that the plans originally made were being adhered to.

On Monday morning, as the critical hour of his coup approached, he
became restless and even nervous--so far, that is, as an inspector of
the Yard on duty can be nervous. So much depended on the results of the
next day and a half! His own fate hung in the balance as well as that of
the men against whom he had pitted himself; Miss Coburn and Merriman
too would be profoundly affected however the affair ended, while to his
department, and even to the nation at large, his success would not be
without importance.

He determined he would, if possible, see the various members of the gang
start, travelling himself in the train with Archer, as the leader and
the man most urgently "wanted." Benson, he remembered, was to go first.
Willis therefore haunted the Paragon station, watching the trains leave,
and he was well satisfied when he saw Benson get on board the 9.10
a.m. By means of a word of explanation and the passing of a couple of
shillings, he induced an official to examine the traveller's ticket,
which p