might be of some assistance to you."

He leant back and watched me with that cold smile of his.

"What do you say, Mr. Lyndon?" he added.

I did some rapid but necessary thinking. It was quite true that the
new explosive would knock the bottom out of the present methods of
manufacture, and McMurtrie's interests in the matter might well be
large enough to make him run the risk of helping me. There seemed no
reason to doubt that he was speaking the truth--and yet, somehow or
other I mistrusted him--mistrusted him from my soul.

"How did you know about my experiments?" I asked quietly.

He shrugged his shoulders. "There are such things as trade secrets. It
is necessary for a business man to keep in touch with anything that
may threaten his interests."

I hesitated a second. "What is it that you propose--exactly?" I
inquired.

I saw--or thought I saw--the faintest possible gleam of satisfaction
steal into his eyes.

"I propose that you should finish your experiments as soon as
possible, make some of this explosive, and hand the actual stuff
and the full secret of its manufacture over to us. In return I will
guarantee you your freedom, and let you have a quarter interest in all
profits we make out of your invention."

He brought out these somewhat startling terms as coolly as though it
were an every-day custom of his to do business with escaped convicts.
I bent down from the bed, and under cover of picking up my second
cigarette from the tray, secured a few useful moments for considering
the situation.

"I have no objection to the bargain," I said slowly, helping myself to
a match off the table; "the only question is whether it is possible to
carry it out. My experiments aren't the kind that can be conducted
in a back bedroom. I should want a large shed of some kind, and the
farther away it was from any houses the better. There is always the
chance of blowing oneself up at this sort of business, and in that
case an explosive like mine would probably wreck everything within a
couple of miles."

"You shall work under any conditions you please," said McMurtrie
amiably. "If it suits you we will fix you up a hut and some sheds down
on the Thames marshes, and you can live there till the experiments are
finished."

"But I should be recognized," I objected. "I am bound to be
recognized. I am fairly well known as it is, and with my picture and
description placarded all over England, I shouldn't stand a dog's
chance.