ad no clue. But there was in her tone
something which turned the blood cold in him.

The invisible Dick, however, answered in a laughing voice so joyous that
Amaryllis was vaguely distressed.

"Rather not," he replied. "I've something much better for this guy."

With intense pleasure, while his observation-slit gave him sight of her,
he watched the girl returning to her post.

Then he shot a fresh order at the prisoner.

"Turn round," he said.

Melchard obeyed.

"If you move a foot or lift a hand before I speak again, it's a bullet
between the shoulders."

Judging this to be the position most demoralizing, Dick descended with
more haste than precaution. Melchard, his entrails shaking, stood, to
all appearance, firm as a rock. When Dick tapped his shoulder, he
turned, showing a face white and drawn.

"The man Bunce!" he exclaimed.

"Silly liar!" said Dick. "You knew who I was the moment you saw my
cheek--guessed I was the man who was queering your game. I have queered
it, and I'm going to queer you. Walk in front of me, and don't forget,
that, if I have to disappoint myself by killing you, I shan't lose any
sleep about it."

Melchard walked silent and erect, with the unseen pistol-barrel behind
him.

Dick could see even in the shoulders before him the ripple of fear
controlled, but not conquered.

And the sight brought, not indeed compassion, but a separated measure of
respect.

When they had almost reached the car, he called a halt.

"I shan't keep on threatening you," he said "You're down and out.
Understand, once for all, that, on the least movement, I shoot to kill."

He pointed to the coat spread over what had been Mut-mut.

"That's yours," he said. "Put it on."

The man was reeking with sweat, exhausted and in mortal fear. A chill
might endanger the success of Dick's design.

Melchard, guessing well what it covered, lifted the fawn-coloured
overcoat with resolution; but the earless side of that frightful head,
with another and bloody hole making a pair of dead eyes to stare up at
him, was too much for the shaken nerve, and Alban Melchard collapsed on
his face in the road.

Dick turned him over, lifted an eyelid, and, convinced that the man was
unconscious, fetched from the car his bottle of the strange device, and
poured a stream from its neck into Melchard's half-open mouth.

For some moment's after, he was afraid that the fit of choked coughing
his rough remedy had caused would compel