where until
this colossal deal could be put over. Trevors or one of his gang--and
Lee's face went whiter, his hands shut tighter into hard fists, as
there came to his mind the picture of Quinnion's twisted face and evil,
red-rimmed eyes.

"Well?" snapped Carson. "What now?"

"There's going to be no sale in the morning," said Lee, and at the new
strange tone in Lee's voice Carson jerked up his head, thrusting it
forward, peering at the other through the moon-lit night.

"Say it again," muttered Carson. "Who said so? Miss Judith?"

"She isn't here," replied Lee briefly. "Hasn't been here since
Saturday night."

Now, with more cause than ever, did Carson stare at him.

"Then what did Pollock Hampton say sell for? By cripes, if this is one
of that young hop-o'-my-thumb's jokes, I'm going up to the house an'
murder him. That's all. An' right now."

Lee laid a hand on Carson's arm.

"Hold on, old-timer," he said shortly. "We'll have a talk with him
after a while. Now I want to talk with you."

Contenting himself with the coldest of brief outlines, Bud Lee told
Carson of Judith's absence and of his own suspicions. Carson, who had
listened to him gravely, at the end shook his head.

"That's a pretty bald play, Bud," he said slowly. "I don't believe
Trevors would get that coarse in his work. It doesn't look like him a
little bit."

"Does this sale look the least little bit like Judith?" demanded Lee
sharply. "Is it her style to go over our heads this way, Carson? If
she's got to sell heavily, why pick out this particular set of buyers?
Why is the deal rushed through while she's away? I tell you there's a
nigger in the wood-pile and it's up to you and me to smoke him out.
Come up to the house with me."

Marcia did not see them as they drew near in the moonlight. For, with
a plan shaping in his brain, Lee judged best that they should not be
seen. He and Carson passed in a wide arc about the left end of the
courtyard, around the end of the house and so to a door opening front
the office to the back of the house. This door he found unlocked and
pushed quietly open.

Hampton lifted swift eyes, sensing something stern and ominous in this
silent approach.

"We want to talk things over with you," began Lee.

"If you've come to bulldoze me out of that deal in the morning,"
retorted Hampton, "you might as well keep still. I'm going to sell."

"I don't know that you'd exactly call it bull-dozing," s