"I know Mr. Morse, Rolston. What impression did he make on you?" "For a moment he stunned me, Sir Thomas. I knew I was in the presence of a superman. All that I had heard about him, all the legends that surrounded his name, the fact of this stupendous sky city in which I was--the ease with which he had stretched out his hand and made me a prisoner, all combined to produce awe and fear." "Yes, go on." "I saw two other things--I think I did. One was that the man's sanity is trembling in the balance. The other that if ever a human being lives and moves and has his being in deadly temporal fear, Gideon Mendoza Morse is that man." The words rang out in that East-end room with prophetic force. It was as though a brilliant light was snapped on to illumine a dark chamber in my soul. "What did he say to you, Rolston?" "He was suavity and kindness itself. He said that he immensely regretted the necessity for secluding me so long. 'But of course I shall make it up to you. You're a young man, Mr. Rolston, only just commencing your career. A little capital would doubtless assist that career, in which I may say I have every belief. Shall we say that you leave Richmond this afternoon with a solatium of five hundred pounds?' "'A thousand would suit me better,' I said. "He shrugged his shoulders, and suddenly smiled at me. "'Very well,' he said, 'let it be a thousand pounds.' "'Of course without prejudice, Mr. Morse.' "'Please explain yourself.' "'You've kidnaped me. You've also committed an offense against the law of England--a criminal offense for which you will have to suffer. Perhaps you don't realize that if you built your house miles further up, if you managed to nearly reach the moon, British justice would reach you at last.' "He shook his head sadly. "'To that point of view, I hardly agree, Mr. Rolston. I am quite unable to purchase British justice, but I can put such obstacles in its way that could--' "He suddenly stopped there, lit a little brown cigarette, came up and patted me on the shoulder. "'Child,' he said, 'you are clever, you are original, I like you. But have a sense of proportion, and remember that you have no choice in this matter. I will give you the money you want on condition that you go away and bring no action whatever against me. If not--' "'If not, sir?' "'Well, you will have to stay here, that's all. You won't be badly treated. You can be librarian if you like, but you will never see the outside world again.' "'May I have a few hours to consider, sir?' "'A month if you like,' he said, pressing a bell upon his table. "The same bland young Chinaman led me out of the library and down to the storeroom in the lift. I was blindfolded, and descended to the ground.