rstood he was staggered. For a moment he stood in a
stupor. Then he apologized to the speaker. "An emergency call. Please
forgive me and go right on!"

He bowed to the other distinguished guests and left the platform.
Pafflow found him and explained.

"Moll, the passer-boy, my gang, she say find you, life and death, and
say Neecky is here! I doan' know what she means, but now I find you."

"Which way--where--did you--have you an idea where she went?"

"She go over by new ship _Mamise_--weeth gentleman all dressy up."

Davidge ran toward the scaffolding surrounding the almost finished
hull. He recognized one or two of his plain-clothes guards and stopped
just long enough to tell them to get together and search every ship at
once, and to make no excitement about it.

The scaffolding was like a jungle, and he prowled through it with
caution and desperate speed, up and down the swaying, cleated planks
and in and out of the hull.

He searched the hold first, expecting that Nicky would naturally plant
his explosives there. That indeed was his scheme, but Mamise had found
among her tumbled wits one little idea only, and that was to delay
Nicky as long as possible.

She suggested to him that before he began to lay his train of wires he
ought to get a general view of the string of ships. The best point was
the top deck, where they were just about to hoist the enormous rudder
to the stern-post.

Nicky accepted the suggestion, and Mamise guided him through the
labyrinth. They had met Jake at the base of the falsework, and he came
along, leaving his bundle. Nicky carried his suit-case with him. He
did not intend to be separated from it. Jake was always glad to be
separated from work.

They made the climb, and Nicky's artistic soul lingered to praise the
beautiful day for the beautiful deed. In a frenzy of talk, Mamise
explained to him what she could. She pointed to the great hatchway for
the locomotives and told him:

"The ship would have been in the water now if it weren't for that big
hatch. It set us--the company back ninety days."

"And now the ship goes to be in the sky in about nine minutes. Come
along once."

"Look down here, how deep it is!" said Mamise, and led him to the
edge. She was ready to thrust him into the pit, but he kept a firm
grip on a rope, and she sighed with regret.

But Davidge, looking up from the depth of the well, saw Nicky and
Mamise peering over the edge. His face vanished.

"Who is