He pushed the man aside, and had slammed the door to in the twinkling of an eye. He thrust the man back into the deep, cane-hooded chair in which he was wont to sit and dream away his official hours, and had him gagged before he had time to cry out. Then, by means of the straps with which he had provided himself, he and Mendip securely lashed the man's feet together, tying his hands behind his back. This work done, they paused and listened; but, in spite of the scuffle there had been, there was no sound of approaching footsteps, nor, indeed, any sign that they had been overheard. Without a word, Westerham grasped the man by the shoulders, and Mendip took him by the heels; and so they carried him through the red-baize swing-doors which formed the entrance to the passage leading to the council chamber. There, with no ceremony at all, they dropped him on the ground, and ran quickly down the corridor. At the bottom of this there stood a door, which opened easily as Westerham turned the handle. They then found themselves in a somewhat ellipse-shaped vestibule, which, as a matter of fact, was the outer lobby of the room where the Cabinet Council was being held. That the door of the council chamber would be locked Westerham knew full well; but he had come prepared to overcome any difficulty of this kind. Nevertheless, he turned the handle, only to find, as he had expected, that the key on the inner side had been turned. When in America, Westerham had found it necessary to force more than one door; and now he pursued the tactics which he had found efficacious on previous occasions. Swiftly he drew his own revolver from his hip-pocket and held out his other hand for Mendip's. Mendip, with his eyes beaming, passed his own weapon to Westerham without a word. He then placed the noses of both the six-shooters on the woodwork just above the lock, pointing them downwards so that no damage might be done to the ministers within. He pulled the triggers simultaneously, and the sound of splintered woodwork and riven iron followed instantaneously on the double report. The door all about the lock was shattered into matchwood, and Westerham, thrusting his foot forward, pushed it open. Mendip sprang back in fear lest his face should be recognised by any of the startled ministers, while Westerham strode calmly into the room. The Cabinet Council was in full session about a long oval table. The Premier, who sat opposite the door, had risen from his seat, and with a white face was staring directly into Westerham's eyes. The other ministers had thrust back their chairs, and were now upon their feet. There was complete silence. Westerham had not the slightest fear of any of them being armed, and without a pause walked over to the table and knocked sharply with the butt of his revolver on the polished wood. “Lord Penshurst,” he said quietly, “I wish to speak to you.”