finish the sentence, for Mark held out a hand and pulled
her behind a bush, just in time, as two other people came up the path.
There was no occasion to tell either of the watchers that here were the
people of whom they were talking. The man Reggie and the woman Cora were
standing on the doorstep whispering together. It was quite a still night
and the other two behind the bushes could hear every word that was said.

"So far, so good," the man was saying. "We've got here and we are pretty
sure that our bird is securely caged, but what next?"

"Wait our chance," the woman said with a certain fierce indrawing of her
breath. "We can appear to have come here by accident, for instructions,
anything. So long as Sartoris does not know about those stones we are
safe. When we get them----"

"When we get them, Richford can whistle for his share of the money," the
man said coolly. "By this time to-morrow we shall be in possession of
more money than we have ever had before. I don't like this present
business, it's far too dangerous. Unless we go so far as to murder that
fellow Berrington and get him out of the way----"

"Don't," the woman said with a shudder. "I hate that kind of work.
Anything clever or cunning, anything requiring audacity, I can do with.
But violence!"

She shuddered again, and the man laughed softly as if greatly pleased
with some idea of his.

"There is going to be no more violence or anything else," he said. "This
game has got far too dangerous. We'll change those stones into money and
then we'll quietly vanish and leave our good friend Sartoris to his own
devices. What do you say to that?"

"Amen, with all my heart," the girl said. "The sooner the better. But
don't forget that we have not yet settled on a plan of action."

"Leave it to chance," the man replied. "We have all the knowledge that
is necessary to the success of our scheme, and the girl knows nothing.
She will not stay very long, it is getting late already. Suppose we
pretend that we have a cab waiting to take us back to town, and suppose
that we offer to give her a lift. Then that scent of yours----" The
woman called Cora laughed and clapped her hands gleefully. It was an
idea after her own heart. She patted her companion affectionately on the
shoulder.

"Come along, then," she said. "Open the door with your latchkey. It's
getting cold and I am longing for something to eat. This kind of thing
makes me hungry."

The door opened and then