a curious
gleam in his eyes.

"So far, so good," he said. "All we want now is Bentwood. He's very
late. Go out and see if you can make anything of him, Reggie. If that
fellow has dared to get drunk to-night, I'll give him a lesson that will
last him for the rest of his life."

The little man's voice grew harsh and grating. Evidently he was a man
that it would be dangerous to trifle with. A curious silence fell over
the little group; the whole room grew so still that Field could hear his
companion breathing. They were perfectly safe up to now, but if anybody
happened to go into the drawing-room for anything, and they were
discovered, each knew that his life was not worth a minute's purchase.
Very steadily Sartoris steered his chair to the side of the big case on
the floor, and his hands began to fumble with the strings.

The front door opened with a bang that startled everybody, for nerves
were strung up to high tension and the least noise came with a startling
force. The door burst open, only to be as quietly closed, and a big man,
with a red face and small red eyes, reeled across the hall and almost
collapsed in a heap on the floor.

"Night," he said unsteadily, "night, all of you. You may say that I've
been drinking. Nothing of the kind. The man who says I've been drinking
lies. Experiment. Nothing in the world but a lot of experiments which a
braver man than I would shrink from. Sartoris, if you say I am drunk,
then I say that you are a liar."

"I should be a liar if I agreed with you," Sartoris said. "The whole
place reeks of drink."

"So it does," the newcomer said with amiability. "Upon my word, you
yourselves seem to be doing remarkably well while I've been working for
the good of the community. Give me a bottle of champagne, to begin with.
Poor stuff, champagne, only fit for women. But then, there appears to be
nothing else--why----"

The big red-faced man reached his hand out and Sartoris caught him a
savage blow on the knuckles. The little man's face was livid with fury,
his eyes flashed like electric points.

"Pig, beast, drunken hound," he screamed. "Have you no sense of shame or
duty? After to-night I will give you a lesson. After to-night you shall
know what it is to play with me."

The man called Bentwood lapsed into sudden dignity.

"Very well," he said. "Have it your own way. When you say that I am
drunk you outrage my feelings. You don't seem to understand that you
can't get on without me.