Dumb with wonder, she simply stared. Her awed gaze travelled again and again over every detail, and then she looked at the opposite wall--the one facing the door--towards which she had not yet looked. And there she saw something which harmonised so perfectly with the atmosphere that it was evident that the room had been designed and decorated to house it, and which at the same time explained the perplexing counter-impressions. At that end of the room, facing the banks of seats, was a daïs hung with black, and in the centre of it stood a huge gilded throne. And to the right of this throne was the keystone which held the whole architectural monstrosity together and gave its reason and its justification. It was a gigantic equilateral triangle of silver which seemed to be suspended in vacancy without material support, being probably braced by brackets concealed behind the hangings. It must have been fully five feet of base, and in the centre of it was a Greek _alpha_, similarly made of silver. She was in the council chamber of the Triangle--that exotic room which nothing but the brain of a madman could have visualised and brought to substance--the cathedral of a megalomaniac.... And then she saw something else, which up to then had not caught her eye, for the shadows at that end of the room were deeper and the interior of the throne itself was shrouded in gloom. But he moved, and she saw him--the man who lounged on the throne--and then he spoke. "Hullo, Susan--what do you want?" Her eyes dilated, for although the figure and face of the man were the figure and face of the tousled scoundrel who had invited her to play _chemin-de-fer_, the voice was the voice of Joe Blaythwayt. "Uncle--Joe?" she breathed. He lumbered ponderously off the daïs and came towards her. "I recognised you in that other room," he said, "and I've been looking for you. What on earth did you want to come here for?" "What did you want to come for?" she parried. He waved a hand. "Men are Different," he said grandly. "How did you get in? Oh, I suppose you were the little devil who pinched my badge?" He wagged a fat forefinger at her. "Naughty! I had no end of a job getting in without it." "Have you seen the tunnel?" she asked. "Only a bit of it. I was exploring down there when I heard someone padding towards me, and beat it back. It must have been you. Tunnel? That's interesting. Where does it go to?" "I haven't the foggiest." Her amazement abated, she took command of the situation automatically. "What we've got to do is to get out of here quick, and talk afterwards. Rustle! Storm's got to hear of this at once." "And Teal," put in Blaythwayt loyally. "And Teal, if you like. Come along--behind me," she directed impatiently, and the docile Joe followed her.