her side of the pillar. She was invisible from where they were,
and in low voices they spoke together, and Zoe listened.

"It overlooks the river," said one. "Two sides of the garden are on
streets as lonely as the middle of the Atlantic. A narrow lane joins and
runs right down the back. We want six or eight men, as well as you and
I."

"What," inquired the other (his voice seemed strangely familiar), "is
the matter with Scotland Yard?"

A moment's silence followed. Then:

"I didn't want to call them in. Largely, I'm out for reputation."

"Mostly," came a drawling reply, "I'm out for business!"

A veil seemed to have taken the place of the carven pillar, a thin,
dream-veil. Although, in her curious mental state, Zoe could not know
it, this was the veil which separated dreamland from reality.

"Martin can come with us. The other two boys will have to hang on to the
tails of Mr. Elschild and Sheard. We mustn't neglect the rest of the
programme because this item looks like a top-liner. I asked Sullivan if
he could draft me half-a-dozen smart boys for Wednesday evening, and he
said yep."

"More expense! What do you want to go and get men from a private
detective agency for, when there's official police whose business it is
to do it for nothing?"

"I thought there'd be people there, maybe, with big names. If we're in
charge we can hush up what we like. If Scotland Yard had the job in hand
there'd be a big scandal."

"You weren't thinkin' of that so much as huggin' all the credit! This
blame man'll ruin me anyway. I can see it. What have you found out about
this house?"

"It's called 'The Cedars' and it fronts on J---- Road. It's just been
leased to a Dr. Ignatius Phillips, who's supposed to be a brain
specialist. I've weighed up every inch of ground and my plan's this: Two
boys come along directly after dusk, and take up their posts behind the
hedge of the back lane; ten minutes after, two more make themselves
scarce on the west side and two more on the towing-path. There's a thick
clump of trees with some railings around, right opposite the door. You
and I will hide there with Martin. We'll see who goes in. There's just a
short, crescent-shaped drive, and only a low hedge. When everybody has
arrived, _we_ march up to the front door. As soon as it's opened, in we
go, a whole crush of us! The house will be surrounded----"

"It sounds a bit on the dangerous side!"

"There'll be plenty of us--four or five."

"