ery. He spoke to one of the
policemen about, who said, "Ay, ay, sir," and he was prepared to follow
Denzil, if necessary, and to give up the pleasure of hearing Gladstone
for an acuter thrill. The arrest must be delayed no longer.

But Denzil seemed as if he were going in on the heels of Crowl. This
would suit Grodman better. He could then have the two pleasures. But
Denzil was stopped half-way through the door.

"Ticket, sir!"

Denzil drew himself up to his full height.

"Press," he said, majestically. All the glories and grandeurs of the
Fourth Estate were concentrated in that haughty monosyllable. Heaven
itself is full of journalists who have overawed St. Peter. But the
door-keeper was a veritable dragon.

"What paper, sir?"

"'New Pork Herald,'" said Denzil sharply. He did not relish his word
being distrusted.

"'New York Herald,'" said one of the bystanding stewards, scarce
catching the sounds. "Pass him in."

And in the twinkling of an eye, Denzil had eagerly slipped inside.

But during the brief altercation Wimp had come up. Even he could not
make his face quite impassive, and there was a suppressed intensity in
the eyes and a quiver about the mouth. He went in on Denzil's heels,
blocking up the doorway with Grodman. The two men were so full of their
coming _coups_ that they struggled for some seconds, side by side,
before they recognized each other. Then they shook hands heartily.

"That was Cantercot just went in, wasn't it, Grodman?" said Wimp.

"I didn't notice," said Grodman, in tones of utter indifference.

At bottom Wimp was terribly excited. He felt that his _coup_ was going
to be executed under very sensational circumstances. Everything would
combine to turn the eyes of the country upon him--nay, of the world, for
had not the Big Bow Mystery been discussed in every language under the
sun? In these electric times the criminal achieves a cosmopolitan
reputation. It is a privilege he shares with few other artists. This
time Wimp would be one of them; and, he felt, deservedly so. If the
criminal had been cunning to the point of genius in planning the murder,
he had been acute to the point of divination in detecting it. Never
before had he pieced together so broken a chain. He could not resist the
unique opportunity of setting a sensational scheme in a sensational
frame-work. The dramatic instinct was strong in him; he felt like a
playwright who has constructed a strong melodramatic plot, and ha