"Don't ask me. Ask the high and mighty boss," was the sneering reply. "You don't seem to stand very high with him." "Aw, he makes me sick sometimes." "It'd make me sick, too, if anybody called me a dog," Farland declared. The man before him did not reply to that, but Farland could see the anger burning in his face. "Come closer," Farland whispered. The man obeyed instantly. "Can anybody overhear what I say to you?" "No. Everybody's gone--but they'll be back soon." "Why are you working for these people?" "Coin, of course--and precious little of it I've seen so far," was the reply. "Then you haven't any other interest in this business? Maybe we can make a deal." "What sort of a deal?" "The man I work for is worth a million," Farland said. "Help me escape, and I'll give you five hundred dollars." "Got it with you?" "The biggest part of it," Farland replied. He told the truth, too, for he always carried plenty of money while working on a case. "Suppose I simply take it away from you," the guard said. "In the first place, I don't think you are that kind of a man. And you want to get square with the man who called you a dog, don't you?" "What's your scheme?" "Simply let me go, right now. It is dusk outside already. Tell me how to get to town the quickest way. I'll give you almost all I have on me; I'll need a little to use to get back to the city. To-morrow I'll meet you some place and give you the rest. In addition I'll give you a chance to get out without being arrested for your part in abducting me and holding me here." The man spent a few minutes in thought. "I'll fix you so you can slip your bonds," he said, "and I'll hand your automatic back to you. It is there in the cupboard. But I don't want you to make a get-away while I'm guarding you--see? I don't exactly love the man who'll guard you next. I'll fix it so you can handle him. Wait for five minutes after he comes and I have gone. I will be away for an hour or so, and the escape can happen while I'm not here." "That suits me," Farland said. "What about the money?" "You'll get it just as soon as I get my hands loose." The guard walked to the hall door and opened it, peered out into the hall and listened. Then he hurried back to the couch and cut Jim Farland's bonds. Farland took the money from one of his inside pockets and handed it over. The guard got the weapon from the cupboard and gave it to Farland. The detective stretched himself down on the couch again, and the guard adjusted the ropes on his ankles and wrists so that they would appear to be all right. Farland slipped the automatic beneath the small of his back, where he could reach it quickly.