ashed violently on the cobbles, and the old cut on his scalp
broke out afresh. Dazed and shaken, there was, for the moment, no more
fight in him.

"You insolent pup," panted Roger, "do you want any more?" Then he saw
that Aubrey was really hurt. With horror he observed a trickle of
blood run down the side of the young man's face.

"Good Lord," he said. "Maybe I've killed him!"

In a panic he ran round the corner to get Leary's outside man, who
stands in a little sentry box at the front angle of the store and sells
the outdoor books.

"Quick," he said. "There's a fellow back here badly hurt."

They ran back around the corner, and found Aubrey walking rather
shakily toward them. Immense relief swam through Roger's brain.

"Look here," he said, "I'm awfully sorry--are you hurt?"

Aubrey glared whitely at him, but was too stunned to speak. He
grunted, and the others took him one on each side and supported him.
Leary's man ran inside the store and opened the little door of the
freight elevator at the back of the shop. In this way, avoiding notice
save by a few book-prowlers, Aubrey was carted into the shop as though
he had been a parcel of second-hand books.

Mr. Warner greeted them at the back of the shop, a little surprised,
but gentle as ever.

"What's wrong?" he said.

"Oh, we've been fighting over a copy of Tooke's Pantheon," said Roger.

They led Aubrey into the little private office at the rear. Here they
made him sit down in a chair and bathed his bleeding head with cold
water. Philip Warner, always resourceful, produced some surgical
plaster. Roger wanted to telephone for a doctor.

"Not on your life," said Aubrey, pulling himself together. "See here,
Mr. Mifflin, don't flatter yourself you gave me this cut on the skull.
I got that the other evening on Brooklyn Bridge, going home from your
damned bookshop. Now if you and I can be alone for a few minutes,
we've got to have a talk."

Chapter XIV

The "Cromwell" Makes its Last Appearance

"You utter idiot," said Roger, half an hour later. "Why didn't you
tell me all this sooner? Good Lord, man, there's some devil's work
going on!"

"How the deuce was I to know you knew nothing about it?" said Aubrey
impatiently. "You'll grant everything pointed against you? When I saw
that guy go into the shop with his own key, what could I think but that
you were in league with him? Gracious, man, are you so befuddled in
your old books that