“The sooner it’s done, Batty, the better,” Margate was forcibly saying. “We’ll wait only for Nell to show up. I want her here when we put out his light. That’s the only sure way to prevent her from peaching, or any one else. Put them in the same boat with you. Then they’ll never squeal.” “That’s right, too, Andy,” declared a voice which Nick recognized as that of the burly chauffeur. “Sure it’s right, Baldwin,” Margate returned. “But where is she, Andy?” Lombard demanded. “You must have seen her this evening. She hasn’t had charge of the girl since afternoon. When will she show up?” “By Jove, they have Lottie Trent here, also,” thought Nick. “There would be something doing, all right, if I could break out of this thing.” Listening while indulging in these thoughts, Nick heard Margate reply: “I left her in Brady’s just before coming out here, before seeing you and Baldwin start out on this job. She had had no supper, so waited to get it. She may show up at any moment.” “But Carter has guns, Andy, and will put up a fight. If----” “Hang his guns!” Margate cut in harshly. “He’ll get no chance to use them. We’ll not need a gun.” “How can you fix him?” “Dead easy. We’ll attach the hose to the gas meter and run it to the trap. It will reach from the meter to the elevator shaft. We’ll bore a hole for it through the plank ceiling. Carter then can’t stop the flow of gas. We’ll suffocate him like a rat in a copper boiler.” “That’s the stuff,” growled Baldwin approvingly. “Dead easy is right.” “Come out to the office,” Margate added. “We’ll wait there till Nell comes in.” “But the girl----” “We’ll silence her later. She can’t get out. I’ve made sure of that. Come out to the office.” Nick heard their heavy tread through the corridor and up a short flight of stairs, which convinced him that he was in the basement of some building. “By Jove, I’ve got to make a bid for liberty, at least,” he said to himself. Whipping out his electric searchlight, he at once began a hurried inspection of the four walls and the section where the panel was located. He saw plainly that the trap had been constructed on a small elevator, and so made that it could be opened only from the outside. He quickly found, moreover, that the planking was of sufficient strength to preclude escape, nor could he start the panel in either direction. “By gracious, it don’t look very promising,” Nick muttered, grim and frowning. “But there’ll be some gun play, all right, if the rascals try to bore a hole through this ceiling. I’ll foil them yet, barring----” Nick then was given the surprise of his life. A sharp click broke his train of thought. The door of the trap flew open and a girl stood directly in front of him in the lighted corridor. She was deathly pale and frightfully excited, but her eyes were aglow with fierce determination. Her hair and garments were in disorder. Her lace collar was stained with blood. She was trembling from head to foot with frantic eagerness.