ce upon the
intruders.

"Damnation--done!" roared Harrison Smith, as the truth dawned upon him.

In a solid block they swung round to find themselves staring down the
black barrel of a service revolver held dead rigid in the hands of Jane.

"Hands above your heads, please," she insisted.

"And if you'll first wait till dear Anthony turns the bend of the lane,"
cooed Mrs. Barraclough, "I'll go through their pockets and take away any
nasty things I may find there. You put the roses in the car, Jane?"

"He's got it all right," came the answer.

"Dear roses," said Mrs. Barraclough, sentimentally.

CHAPTER 28.

SAND.

A panel is not beaten into shape by force but by recurrent blows, light
and accurate, and by the same cumulative process, Van Diest and his
colleagues sought to shape the will of Richard Frencham Altar to their
intention.

The fact that their effort had so far failed in no way discouraged the
belief that eventually it would succeed. There was no doubt in their
minds but that in time he would be brought to speak, but Cranbourne's
unexpected disclosure that the opposition knew of their captive's
whereabouts robbed them of their most valuable asset. Time, so to
speak, was no longer to be relied upon and they were compelled to
resort to a more expeditious method.

True it would be easy to remove the captive elsewhere but easy matters
are apt to go wrong on performance. A clue might be provided where at
present no clue existed. If Torrington brought a charge it would be
based on hypothetical evidence and come to nothing. On the other hand
unpleasant suspicions would certainly be aroused and neither Van Diest
nor Hipps greatly desired to attract the attentions of the Police.

If Barraclough could be persuaded to disclose the secret all would be
well. He would be generously rewarded not only for his confidence but
also for a guarantee to disclose none of the privations to which he had
been subjected. The affair would end in an atmosphere of sweet accord.
Torrington's crowd would be knocked out of business and a spirit of
peace and harmony would descend like a benison upon the hard working
trio.

Could any solution be more satisfactory, but there was a fly in the
ointment. Barraclough's resolution strengthened with adversity, he
kept his tongue behind locked teeth and said precisely nothing.

At nine o'clock that night the Dutchman's big Rolls Royce delivered him
and Ezra Hipps at Laure