ss.

Thus freed of that strangling embrace, Dick stumbled blindly to his
feet. Then, mechanically, his hand went to the lamp on the table back
of the couch. In the same moment Garson snapped his torch to darkness.
When, after a little futile searching, Dick finally found the catch, and
the mellow streamed forth, he uttered an ejaculation of stark amazement,
for his gaze was riveted on the face of the woman he loved.

"Good God!" It was a cry of torture wrung from his soul of souls.

Mary swayed toward him a little, palpitant with fear--fear for herself,
for all of them, most of all for him.

"Hush! hush!" she panted warningly. "Oh, Dick, you don't understand."

Dick's hand was at his throat. It was not easy for him to speak yet. He
had suffered severely in the process of being throttled, and, too, he
was in the clutch of a frightful emotion. To find her, his wife, in this
place, in such company--her, the woman whom he loved, whom, in spite
of everything, he had honored, the woman to whom he had given his name!
Mary here! And thus!

"I understand this," he said brokenly at last. "Whether you ever did it
before or not, this time you have broken the law." A sudden inspiration
on his own behalf came to him. For his love's sake, he must seize on
this opportunity given of fate to him for mastery. He went on with a new
vehemence of boldness that became him well.

"You're in my hands now. So are these men as well. Unless you do as I
say, Mary, I'll jail every one of them."

Mary's usual quickness was not lacking even now, in this period of
extremity. Her retort was given without a particle of hesitation.

"You can't," she objected with conviction. "I'm the only one you've
seen."

"That's soon remedied," Dick declared. He turned toward the hall door as
if with the intention of lighting the chandelier.

But Mary caught his arm pleadingly.

"Don't, Dick," she begged. "It's--it's not safe."

"I'm not afraid," was his indignant answer. He would have gone on, but
she clung the closer. He was reluctant to use over-much force against
the one whom he cherished so fondly.

There came a diversion from the man who had made the capture, who was
mightily wondering over the course of events, which was wholly unlike
anything in the whole of his own rather extensive housebreaking
experience.

"Who's this, anyhow?" Chicago Red demanded.

There was a primitive petulance in his drawling tones.

Dick answered with conciseness e