He had to get inside, somehow; he had to know what was happening there. Without making the test, he knew Le Bain would have upon those two front doors, stoop and basement, locks of a character that it would be wasted time to try to pick or force quietly. Of course he might get police aid, and, ignoring such a mere detail as law, might break down a door--but that would give the alarm to whoever might be within and would spoil everything. And then he might ring the bell, and before the person who answered could slam the door upon him, he could drive his way through--but this again would give alarm and would ruin everything. The very essence of the plan forming in his mind was to try to keep himself in the unseen background, to discover just what Loveman and his associates had under way, to let them carry their plan through to its completion, and then, when he had the goods on them, to act swiftly. That is, if he could. There was no other way. With Uncle George he reëntered the waiting taxi-cab and hurried toward Le Minuit. On Broadway he met two of Lieutenant Jimmie Kelly’s plain-clothes men who were willingly impressed into his service. At the blazing entrance to Le Minuit Uncle George halted. “I guess I’ll not go up with you, son,” he said. “I’ll do more good if I don’t openly mess in police affairs. But I’ll hang about.” Clifford nodded. With the two plain-clothes men he mounted the wide bright stairway that led to the Midnight Café. “Tell Le Bain I want to see him in his office,” he said to the door-man, and moved quickly among the tables and passed through a gray-and-gilt door. In less than a minute Le Bain entered. “Joe,” Clifford began brusquely, without prelude. “I want the key to that private house of yours, and I want it damned quick.” Le Bain tried to look blank. “What private house? Why, Bob, I don’t know--” “Cut out the stalling!” interrupted Clifford. “It won’t do you any good--and I’ve no time to listen to it. I know all about that house. And you needn’t say the people who have it to-night have the only keys--I know you have a lot of duplicates for the convenience of members of a party that prefer not to go there in a group. So come across!” “But, Bob, honest to God--” “No time for your lies, Joe! Now, you listen to this if you care for your own health. The people there won’t know I got in with your consent, and you’ll not get in bad with them. That is, unless they are pulling something raw there--in which case I can testify that you assisted me. On the other hand, if you don’t come across I’ll have the Commissioner of Licenses revoke your license for Le Minuit within twenty-four hours, and you’ll find you’ll never be able to do business again in this town. Quick, now,--let’s have that key!”