crape. No
trouble for you--but a lot for me without a pal to see me through. I
won't keep you more than a few minutes, if you're engaged anywhere."

"I'm not engaged. But--" Petro began, only to be cut short.

"Come along, then, for the Lord's sake. Tell you everything when we're
there." And taking Rolls affectionately by the arm, the other rushed
him out of the club.

"House shut up, you know. But I stay there. My man'll let us in the
basement way, if you don't mind," Logan explained disjointedly as they
hurried along the street to the dwelling four doors away.

Sims, obedient to instructions flung at him over his master's shoulder
when the girl had been let out, now awaited Logan's return at the
tradesmen's entrance. The two young men were admitted and the door
locked behind them. A minute more and they were in the rosily glowing
dining-room, where the white table still offered attractive
refreshment.

"Sit down," said Logan, and as he said it a great knocking began
somewhere.

Listening in surprise, Petro forgot to accept the invitation--which
might have been more tempting if he had not, about half an hour ago,
finished dinner. Logan repeated the words, however, and even pulled
out a chair for Petro, who took it. Logan seized the other, and Petro,
following his host's example, drew up to the table. Still the pounding
went on, more loudly than before, if possible. It began to seem rather
like something in a play when you had missed the first scene and
didn't quite understand what it was all about.

"I think, sir, it's some one at the door," calmly announced Sims,
raising his voice decorously, to be heard over the noise. "Shall I see
who it is, or shall I let them knock and go away?"

"See who it is, and if it's the police, make no objection to their
coming in. Be surprised, but not frightened, and say Mr. Logan has a
friend supping with him. Savvy?"

"Yes, sir," responded Sims, and vanished.

"No time to let you into this stunt on the ground floor," went on
Logan. "But I will as soon as the turn's over. For all sakes, keep mum
while I talk."

Before Petro could answer, if he had an answer ready, there were deep
voices in the hall. Then the door was opened by Sims, and two
plain-clothes policemen stepped briskly in.

"Hello! What's up? House on fire?" exclaimed Logan, pausing in the
act of handing a dish of iced caviar to his guest.

"We're not from the fire department," said the elder and smarter
loo