ut those two women are alone in the cellar," exclaimed Barbara,
"they are being murdered! Ah! what was that?"

A gentle thud resounded from below.

A man came in through the door leading from the bar:

He had a fat, smooth-shaven face, heavily jowled.

"All ready, Bellward?" asked Strangwise carelessly.

Barbara stared at the man thus addressed. She saw that he was
wearing the same clothes as the man who had come down into the
cellar with Strangwise but the beard was gone. And the man she
saw before her was not Desmond Okewood.

Without waiting to reason out the metamorphosis, she ran towards
Bellward.

"They're murdering those two women down in the cellar," she
cried, "oh, what has happened? Won't you go down and see?"

Bellward shook her off roughly.

"Neat work!" said Strangwise.

"She's a wonder with the knife!" agreed the other.

Barbara stamped her foot.

"If neither of you men have the courage to go down," she cried,
"then I'll go alone! As for you, Captain Strangwise, a British
officer..."

She never finished the sentence. Strangwise caught her by the
shoulder and thrust the cold barrel of a pistol in her face.

"Stay where you are!" he commanded. "And if you scream I shoot!"

Barbara was silent, dumb with horror and bewilderment, rather
than with fear. A light shone through the open door at the end of
the tap-room and the woman in black velvet appeared, carrying a
lamp in her hand She was breathing rather hard and her carefully
arranged gray hair was a little untidy; but she was quite calm
and self-possessed.

"We haven't a moment to lose!" she said, putting the lamp down on
the table and blowing it out.

"Bellward, give me my cloak!"

Bellward advanced with a fur cloak and wrapped it about her
shoulders.

"You are the perfect artiste, Minna," he said.

"Practise makes perfect!" replied Mrs. Malplaquet archly.

Strangwise had flung open the door leading to the front yard. A
big limousine stood outside.

"Come on," he said impatiently, "don't stand there gossiping you
two!"

Then Barbara revolted.

"I'll not go!" she exclaimed, "you can do what you like but I'll
stay where I am! Murderers..."

"Oh," said Strangwise wearily, "bring her along, Bellward!"

Bellward and the woman seized the girl one by each arm and
dragged her to the car. Strangwise had the door open and between
them they thrust her in. Bellward and the woman mounted after her
while Strangwise, after starting the