“You explained to Mr. Frost that there was a deserted lane on the north side of the grounds, and that there was a wooden door about in the middle of the wall on that side, from which the footpath led round to the front of the house. You told him to be at your apartment at twelve o’clock, and you said you and he and ‘the other two’--those were your words, but you didn’t mention any names--would motor out to Meadowview, reaching there about three. You said you would leave the car in the lane in charge of the chauffeur while the four of you broke into the study, forced the safe, and made away with the sparklers. “From certain other remarks which you let fall,” the waiter went on, “I gathered that this was not the first job of the kind on which you and Frost had been engaged. In fact, I came to the conclusion that you and he were members of an organized gang--a secret society, or something of that sort--which had been carrying on a systematic campaign of robbery. At any rate, I realized that I had made a discovery which ought to be worth a great deal of money to me, but before interviewing you and laying my terms before you, I decided to go to Meadowview, partly to find out who ‘the other two’ were, and partly to see you actually commit the burglary.” He described his visit to the Massey country place and all that he had seen and done there. “After I had winged Massey,” he concluded, “I hid behind some bushes until you and your friends had entered your car. I then mounted my motor bike, and followed you back to the city. You may possibly remember that just after you had got out of the machine in front of the building, a motorcyclist passed you and called out ‘good night.’ No doubt you wondered who it was. Now you know. It was I.” “A very interesting story,” Atherton commented sarcastically, as his visitor paused. “May I ask you why you were good enough to fire at Massey, and so enable us to make our escape?” “That’s plain enough, isn’t it? If you had been captured, all my plans for making money out of my discovery would have been ruined.” “So I thought. Very well. We’ll get down to business. You spoke just now of laying your terms before me. That means, I take it, that you wish me to purchase your silence?” “Naturally.” “In other words--blackmail! Unless I buy your silence, you denounce me and my friends to the police?” “Blackmail is an ugly word, Mr. Atherton, and I should prefer not to have it brought into this discussion. I certainly intend to denounce you to the police, if you’re foolish enough to reject my terms, but I haven’t come here to demand money as the price of my silence.” “Then what do you want?” CHAPTER IX. MAX REVEALS HIMSELF.