ounded from behind her as they struck the walls.

Again she fired. They were at least more cautious now in their rush--no
one seemed anxious to be first upon the stairs. She cast a wild glance
through the open door into the garret at her side. The two forms in
there, on their feet again, were spinning around and around with
the strange, lurching gyrations of automatons--and then she saw the
Adventurer whip a terrific blow to Danglar's face--and Danglar fall and
lie still--and the Adventurer come leaping toward her.

But faces were showing now above the level of the floor, and there was
suddenly an increased uproar from further back in the rear until it
seemed that pandemonium itself were loosed.

"It's the police! The police behind us!" she heard Shluker's voice
shriek out.

She jumped to her feet. Two of the gang had reached the landing and were
smashing at the Adventurer. There seemed to be a swirling mob in riot
there below. The Adventurer was fighting like a madman. It was hand to
hand now.

"Quick! Quick!" she cried to the Adventurer. "Jump back through the
door."

"Oh, no, you don't!" It was Skeeny--she could see the man's brutal face
now. "Oh, no, you don't, you she-devil!" he shouted, and, over-reaching
the Adventurer's guard, struck at her furiously with his clubbed
revolver.

It struck her a glancing blow on the head, and she reeled and staggered,
but recovered herself. And now it seemed as though it were another
battle that she fought--and one more desperate; a battle to fight back
a horrible giddiness from overpowering her, and with which her brain was
swimming, to fight it back for just a second, the fraction of a second
that was needed until--until--"Jump!" she cried again, and staggered
over the threshold, and, as the Adventurer leaped backward beside her,
she slammed the door, and locked it--and slid limply to the floor.

When she regained consciousness she was lying on the cot. It seemed very
still, very quiet in the garret. She opened her eyes. It--it must be
all right, for that was the Sparrow standing there watching her, and
shifting nervously from foot to foot, wasn't it? He couldn't be there,
otherwise. She held out her hand.

"Marty," she said, and smiled with trembling lips, "we--we owe you a
great deal."

The Sparrow gulped.

"Gee, you're all right again! They said it wasn't nothin', but you had
me scared worse'n down at the iron plant when I had to do the rough act
with that gent