"Just that, sir," said Toby, with a slight quickening of the breath. "I mean I am--at your disposal alone." Saltash took him suddenly by the shoulder and looked at him closely. "Toby!" he said. "Aren't you making--rather a fool of yourself?" "No, sir!" Swiftly, with unexpected vehemence, Toby made answer. "I'm doing--the only thing possible. But if you--if you--if you--" "Well?" Saltash said. "If I what?" "If you want to get rid of me--at any time," Toby said, commanding himself with fierce effort, "I'll go, sir--I'll go!" "And where to?" Saltash's eyes were no longer derisive; they held something that very few had ever seen there. Toby made a quick gesture of the hands, and dropped them flat at his sides. "I'll get rid of myself--then, sir," he said, with sudden chill pride. "That won't be very difficult. And I'll do it--so that you won't even know." Saltash stood up abruptly. "Toby, you are quite unique!" he said. "Superb too in your funny little way. Your only excuse is that you're young. Does it never occur to you that you've attached yourself to the wrong person?" "No, sir," breathed Toby. "You're not afraid to stake all you've got on a bad card?" pursued Saltash, still curiously watching him. "No, sir," he said again; and added with his faint, unboyish smile, "I haven't much to lose anyway." Saltash's hand tightened upon him. He was smiling also, but the gleam in his eyes had turned to leaping, fitful flame. "Well," he said slowly, "I have never yet refused--a gift from the gods." And there he stopped, for suddenly, drowning all speech, there arose a din that seemed to set the whole world rocking; and in a moment there came a frightful shock that pitched them both headlong to the floor. Saltash fell as a monkey falls, catching at one thing after another to save himself, landing eventually on his knees in pitch darkness with one hand still gripped upon Toby's thin young arm. But Toby had struck his head against a locker and had gone down stunned and helpless. The din of a siren above them filled the world with hideous clamour as Saltash recovered himself. "Damn them!" he ejaculated savagely. "Do they want to deafen us as well as send us to perdition?" Then very suddenly it stopped, leaving a void that was instantly filled with lesser sounds. There arose a confusion of voices, of running feet, a hubbub of escaping steam, and a great rush of water.