"Look here, Harvey," he asked, "do you want to make a scrap of it? I'm your man, if you do. Or I say, have you anything you'd like to hand over to me? I can stand the racket." Harvey Grimm shook his head firmly. "No," he decided, "if it's the end, well, I'll face it. If only Jerry hadn't cleared out I might have got rid of the stones. Good-bye, Stephen, and good luck to you! Better follow me out, perhaps, if I don't return." He made his way without undue haste from the room, exchanging one or two greetings, pausing, even, in the swing doors to say a few words with a friend. Then, when he stood in the little lobby, he knew that there was truth at the back of all his forebodings. It was a well-known Scotland Yard inspector and a subordinate, both in plain clothes, who were standing there with their hats in their hands. The inspector greeted him cheerily, but dropped his voice. "Mr. Grimm," he said, "I'll have to trouble you to come along to head-quarters. Just a few questions, you understand--as quietly as you like. You see, we've come here in mufti. Go back and say good-bye to your friend, if you want to." "That's very considerate of you, Inspector," was the grateful reply. "I'll just tap the window, if you'll allow me." The poet obeyed the summons promptly. Harvey Grimm met him by the door and took his arm. "They're after me, Stephen," he confided. "They're doing it jolly civilly, though. There's a time for going on to the bitter end and there's a time for dropping it. I'm dropping it. Once more, good luck to you!" The two men gripped hands. The page-boy came up again and touched Harvey Grimm on the shoulder. "Wanted on the telephone, sir," he announced. The former turned towards the inspector. "Pray, don't hurry, Mr. Grimm," the latter remarked courteously. "Our time is entirely yours." Harvey Grimm stepped into the telephone box and took up the receiver. The voice that answered his enquiry was hoarse, as though with some unnatural emotion. "Is that Harvey Grimm?" "Yes!" "This is Aaron--Aaron Rodd. Where are you? Can you come and help? I'm in trouble." "So am I," Harvey Grimm replied, a little bitterly. "What's yours?" "I came down to Tilbury this morning with Henriette, to see her brother off. We couldn't find him. Henriette got on the wrong steamer and they've taken her off. It was a trap, Harvey, do you hear? They've got her!" "Where are you?" "I'm at Tilbury, telephoning from the docks," was the hoarse reply. "The whole thing was a sell. The munition boat by which Brinnen was supposed to leave has never been heard of. Can you come down?" Harvey Grimm closed the door tightly behind him and almost whispered down the telephone. "Can you hear, Aaron?" "Yes!"