s in, Mr. Lyndon," he said with perfect good temper.
"Shielding a runaway convict is an indictable offence--to say nothing
of altering his appearance. As for the money"--he made a little
gesture of contempt--"well, do you think it would pay us to cheat you?
There is always the chance that a gentleman who can invent things like
this explosive and the Lyndon-Marwood torpedo may have other equally
satisfactory notions."

"Very well," I said quietly. "I will accept the offer on one
condition--that I can have a week in London before beginning work."

With an oath Savaroff started up from the window-sill.

"Gott in Himmel! and who are you to make terms?" he exclaimed roughly.
"Why, we have only to send you back to the prison and you will be
flogged like a dog!"

"In which distressing event," I observed, "you would not get your
explosive."

"My dear Savaroff," interrupted McMurtrie, soothingly, "there is
no need to threaten Mr. Lyndon. I am sure that he appreciates the
situation." Then he turned to me. "I suppose you have some reason for
making this condition?"

Silently in my heart I invoked the shade of Ananias.

"If you had been in Dartmoor three years," I said, with a rather
well-forced laugh, "you would find several excellent reasons for
wanting a week in London."

My acting must have been good, for I could have sworn I saw a faint
expression of relieved contempt flicker across McMurtrie's face.

"I see. A little holiday--a brief taste of the pleasures of liberty!
Well, that seems to me a very natural and reasonable request. What do
you think, Savaroff?"

That gentleman contented himself with a singularly ungracious grunt.

"I don't think there would be much risk about it," I said boldly. "If
you can change my appearance as completely as you say you can, no one
would be the least likely to recognize me. After three years of that
dog's life up there I can't settle down in a hut on the Thames marshes
without having a few days' fun first. I should be very careful what
I did naturally. I have had quite enough of the prison to appreciate
being outside."

McMurtrie nodded. "Very well," he said slowly. "I see no objection to
your having your 'few days' fun' in London if you want them. It would
be safer perhaps to get you away from this house as soon as possible.
I should think three weeks would be quite enough for our purposes
here--and I daresay it will take us a month to fix up a satisfactory
place for you to w