subway on her
return a few minutes ago. Her hand clenched suddenly. She was to meet
him at Matty's--and, thereafter, if it took all night, she would not
leave him until she had got him alone somewhere and disclosed herself.
The man was a coward in soul. She could trust to the effect upon him of
an automatic in the hands of the White Mall to make him talk.

Rhoda Gray walked quickly. It was not very far. She turned the corner
into the street where Danglar's deformed brother, Matty, cloaked the
executive activities of the gang with his cheap little notion store--and
halted abruptly. The store was just ahead of her, and Danglar himself,
coming out, had just closed the door.

He saw her, and stepping instantly to her side, grasped her arm roughly
and wheeled her about.

"Come on!" he said--and a vicious oath broke from his lips.

The man was in a towering, ungovernable passion. She cast a furtive
glance at his face. She had seen him before in anger; but now, with his
lips drawn back and working, his whole face contorted, he seemed utterly
beside himself.

"What's the matter?" she inquired innocently. "Wouldn't the Pug talk, or
is it a case of 'another hour or so,' and--"

He swung on her furiously.

"Hold your cursed tongue!" he flared. "You'll snicker on the wrong side
of your face this time!" He gulped, stared at her threateningly, and
quickened his step, forcing her to keep pace with him. But he spoke
again after a minute, savagely, bitterly, but more in control of
himself. "The Pug got away. The White Moll queered us again. But it's
worse than that. The game's up! I told you to be here at midnight. It's
only half past eleven yet. I figured you would still be over in the
garret, and I was going there for you. That's where we're going now.
There's no chance at those rajah's jewels now; there's no chance of
fixing Cloran so's you can swell it around in the open again--the only
chance we've got is to save what we can and beat it!"

She did not need to simulate either excitement or disquiet.

"What is it? What's happened?" she asked tensely.

"The gang's thrown us down!" he said between his teeth. "They're scared;
they've got cold feet--they're going to quit. Shluker and Pinkie were
with me at the iron plant. We went back to Matty's from there. Matty's
with them, too. They say the Pug knows every one of us, and every game
we've pulled, and that in revenge for our trying to murder him he'll
wise up the police--th