“Fire! you fool,” shouted Melun, but the man still held his hand and hesitated so long that Hilden had gripped the barrel of his revolver in his left hand before the fellow quite realised what was happening. If the man had scruples, Melun had none. His revolver spoke quickly, and Hilden, with a little cough, fell forward on his face. Turning from his butcher's work, Melun whipped round to meet the terror-stricken eyes of Lady Kathleen. “Will you take your daughter away, Lord Penshurst?” he said in a low voice. “It is not my fault that she has been compelled to look on this.” The Prime Minister grasped Kathleen by the arm and drew her into the ball-room. Melun closed in on him and the other men followed. As they entered the room they spread themselves out fanwise in an obviously prearranged plan. Coolly and deliberately Melun discharged his revolver at the painted ceiling overhead, bringing down a little cloud of plaster. The orchestra stopped in the middle of a bar, the dancers came to a halt, and all those guests who had been sitting round the ball-room leapt with cries to their feet. “Silence!” Melun's voice rung out clear and hard. “Ladies and gentlemen,” he cried, “I have no desire to create a disturbance. If you will listen to me all will be well.” Turning for a second to Lord Penshurst, he said, “Get back to the middle of the ball-room.” The Prime Minister had no other course but to obey. Melun next proceeded to deal with those guests who were nearest to the door. “All of you,” he said in a tone of easy command, “all of you get back beyond the chandelier.” He pointed to the great cut-glass candelabra which hung from the ceiling. Here and there a woman gave a little scream, but for the most part the people who had been so rudely disturbed were very quiet. Melun watched the retreat through his mask, and when all the guests had crowded together at the end of the room he gave them further orders. “All the men step to the front!” The men looked angrily and defiantly at Melun and his companions, but they had no option in the matter, for a dozen revolvers were pointed in their direction with unwavering nozzles. Sullenly, angrily, the men came forward, and formed a long chain before the women, who clung together in terror or sat huddled on chairs, holding their faces in their hands. There was a pause, and Lord Penshurst turned towards his guests. [Illustration: “_On the floor at Melun's feet there slowly grew a glittering pile of jewels_”] “My friends,” he cried, “I greatly regret this outrage. Any loss which you may suffer at the hands of these thieves I will, of course, make good, but let me implore you to do everything in your power to prevent any bloodshed.” “Be silent!” thundered Melun. “You were not asked to speak. Lady Kathleen, will you be kind enough to leave your father and join the other ladies?” Lady Kathleen faced him with flaming eyes. “No!” she cried. “My place is by my father's side.”