He hurried back to the front of the hotel. By now it was burning like a bonfire; already, short as had been the time since the overturning of the lamp, the entire ground floor with the exception of one wing was a roaring welter of flames, while the fire had leaped up the main staircase and set its signals in the windows of the upper story. Iff was standing at some distance from the main entrance, having pushed his way through the tangle of undergrowth to escape the scorching heat that emanated from the building. He caught sight of Staff approaching and waved a hand to him. "Greetings!" he cried cheerfully, raising his voice to make it heard above the voice of the conflagration. "Where's Nelly?" Staff explained. "But what about Ismay?" he demanded. Iff grinned and hung his head as if embarrassed, rubbing a handkerchief over the smoke-stained fingers of his right hand. "I got him," he said simply. "You left him in there?" The little man nodded without reply and turned alertly to engage Mrs. Clover, who was bearing down upon them in the first stages of hysterics. But at sight of Iff she pulled up and calmed herself a trifle. "Oh, sir," she cried, "I'm so glad you're safe, sir! I was asleep in the kitchen when the fire broke out--and then I thought I heard pistol shots--and I didn't know but somethin' had happened to you--" "No," said Iff coolly; "you can see I'm all right." "And Eph, sir? Where's my husband?" she shrieked. "Oh," said Iff, at length identifying the woman. "You'll find him down at the dock--dead drunk in the motor-boat," he told her. "If I were you I'd go to him right away." "But whatever will we do for a place to sleep tonight?" "Help yourself," Iff replied with a generous wave of his hand "You've all Pennymint to ask shelter of, if you can manage to make your husband run the boat across." "But you--what'll you do?" "I've another boat handy," Iff explained. "We'll go in that." "And will you rebuild, sir?" "No," he said gravely, "I don't think so. I fancy this is the last time I'll ever set foot on Wreck Island. Now clear out," he added with a sharp change of manner, "and see if you can't sober that drunken fool up." Abashed, the woman cringed and turned away. Presently she broke into a clumsy run and vanished in the direction of the landing-stage. "You've accepted the identity of Ismay," commented Staff disapprovingly, as they moved off together to rejoin Eleanor. "For the last time," said the little man. "Until I get aboard Bascom's boat again, only. It's the easiest way." "How do you mean?" Iff nodded at the blazing building. "That wipes out all scores," he replied. "What they find of Cousin Artie when that cools off won't be enough to hold an inquest over; he will be simply thought to have disappeared, since I won't return to this place. And that's the easiest way: we don't got any use for inquests at the wind-up of this giddy dime-novel!"