posited on the floor under the crimson lamp.

"Well, Maurice?" answered the other.

Strangwise noticed that Desmond had addressed him by his
Christian name for the first time since he had been in the house
and his voice was more friendly when he spoke again.

"I see you're going to be sensible, old man," he said. "Believe
me, it's the only thing for you to do. You're going to give up
the Star of Poland, aren't you?"

"Oh, no, Maurice, I'm not," replied Desmond in a frank, even
voice. "I've told you what I'm going to do. I'm going to hand you
over to the people at Pentonville to hang as a murderer. And I
shouldn't be at all surprised if they didn't run up old Bellward
there alongside of you!"

Strangwise shook his head at him.

"You are very ill-advised to reject my offer, Desmond," he said,
"for it simply means that I can do nothing more for you. Our
friend Bellward now assumes the direction of affairs. I don't
think you can realize what you are letting yourself in for. You
appear to have been dabbling in Intelligence work. Perhaps it
would interest you to hear something about this, our latest
German method for extracting accurate information from reluctant
or untruthful witnesses. Bellward, perhaps you would enlighten
him."

Bellward smiled grimly.

"It is a blend," he explained glibly, "of that extreme form of
cross-examination which the Americans call 'the third degree' and
hypnotic treatment. Many people, as you are doubtless aware, are
less responsive to hypnotic influence than others. An intensified
course of the third degree and lack of sleep renders such
refractory natures extraordinarily susceptible to mesmeric
treatment. It prepares the ground as it were!"

Bellward coughed and looked at Desmond over his tortoise-shell
spectacles which he had put on again.

"The method has had its best results when practised on women," he
resumed. "Our people in Holland have found it very successful in
the case of female spies who come across the Belgian frontier.
But some women--Miss Barbara, for example--seem to have greater
powers of resistance than others. We had to employ a rather
drastic form of the third degree for her, didn't we, Strangwise?"

He laughed waggishly.

"And you'll be none too easy either," he added.

"You beasts," cried Desmond, "but just you wait, your turn will
come!"

"Yours first, however," chuckled Bellward. "I rather fancy you
will think us beasts by the time we have done with y