in the brown haze of the sunlit smoke. Power and
possession--both far exceeding Alan's most extravagant dream--were
promised him by those papers which Sherrill had shown him. When he had
read down the list of those properties, he had had no more feeling,
that such things could be his than he had had at first that Corvet's
house could be his--until he had heard the intruder moving in that
house. And now it was the sense that another was going to make him
fight for those properties that was bringing to him the realization of
his new power. He "had" something on that man--on Spearman. He did
not know what that thing was; no stretch of his thought, nothing that
he knew about himself or others, could tell him; but, at sight of him,
in the dark of Corvet's house, Spearman had cried out in horror, he had
screamed at him the name of a sunken ship, and in terror had hurled his
electric torch. It was true, Spearman's terror had not been at Alan
Conrad; it had been because Spearman had mistaken him for some one
else--for a ghost. But, after learning that Alan was not a ghost,
Spearman's attitude had not very greatly changed; he had fought, he had
been willing to kill rather than to be caught there.

Alan thought an instant; he would make sure he still "had" that
something on Spearman and would learn how far it went. He took up the
receiver and asked for Spearman again.

Again the voice answered--"Yes."

"I don't care whether you're busy," Alan said evenly. "I think you and
I had better have a talk before we meet with Mr. Sherrill this
afternoon. I am here in Mr. Corvet's office now and will be here for
half an hour; then I'm going out."

Spearman made no reply but again hung up the receiver. Alan sat
waiting, his watch upon the desk before him--tense, expectant, with
flushes of hot and cold passing over him. Ten minutes passed; then
twenty. The telephone under Corvet's desk buzzed.

"Mr. Spearman says he will give you five minutes now," the switchboard
girl said.

Alan breathed deep with relief; Spearman had wanted to refuse to see
him--but he had not refused; he had sent for him within the time Alan
had appointed and after waiting until just before it expired.

Alan put his watch back into his pocket and, crossing to the other
office, found Spearman alone. There was no pretense of courtesy now in
Spearman's manner; he sat motionless at his desk, his bold eyes fixed
on Alan intently. Alan closed the door be