," Blue
Serge suggested, "by your leave--"

Drawing near the girl, he held out his hand for the pistol, and to her
own surprise she surrendered it without demur, suddenly conscious that
he was no more afraid, that he was rapidly assuming comprehensive
command of the situation beyond her to gainsay, and that he knew, and
knew that she knew he knew, that she had never entertained any real
intention of pulling the trigger, however desperate the emergency.

And incontinently, as though he had taken away all her courage,
together with that nickel-plated symbol, she started back, almost
cringing in a panic of sadly jangled nerves.

Happily for her conceit, once he had disarmed her, Blue Serge
transferred his interest exclusively to his late assailant.

Calmly showing the girl his back, he stepped over, poked the pistol's
nose significantly into the folds of the ruffian's neck, and with a
sharp word of warning slapped smartly his two hips; in consequence of
which singular performance he thrust a hand beneath the tail of the
fellow's coat and brought away a bull-dog revolver of heavy calibre.

And then he stepped back, smiling, with a sidelong glance of triumph
for Sally's benefit--a glance that spent itself on emptiness.

For Sally was no more there; her uninstructed fingers were already
fumbling with the fastenings of the front door when Blue Serge
discovered her defection.

CHAPTER IV

BLACKMAIL

There was a breathless instant while the combination of knobs, bolts,
and locks defied her importunity so obstinately that Sally was tempted
to despair.

She dared not look behind her; but momentarily, as she groped,
fumbled, and trembled at the front door, she was aware that a man had
backed out of the library into the hall and paused there in the gush
of light, staring after her.

And when the door suddenly yielded she heard--or fancied that she
heard--his voice, its accent peremptory: "Stop!" Or perhaps it was:
"Wait!"

She did neither; the door slammed behind her with a crash that
threatened its glass; she was at the foot of the front steps before
that sound had fairly registered on her consciousness; and her
panic-winged heels had carried the young woman well round the corner
and into Park Avenue before she appreciated how interesting her
tempestuous flight from that rather thoroughly burglarised mansion
would be apt to seem to a peg-post policeman. And then she pulled
up short, as if reckoning to divert su