And so she found herself preceding him into the cab, although still that warning voice cautioned, "Don't! Don't! Don't!" "Anywhere around the suburbs," Dunbar instructed the driver. And then the door slammed, and they were on their way. But, as the wheels whirred beneath her, she would have given her last penny to be safely on the ground again. Subtly, insidiously, her companion's manner had changed. There was a menacing note beneath the silken purr as he turned to her, and demanded, "And now, young lady, maybe you will tell me why you have not been co-operating?" * * * * * She writhed; withdrew from him as far as possible; and made no answer. How idiotic of her to have let him lure her into the taxi! "Maybe you will tell me," he went on, "why it was you went to the police to report me? No! don't say you didn't! I have informants!" "That is to say, you've been shadowing me with spies, Mr. Dunbar?" she retorted, turning upon him with spirit. "I don't care a damn what you call it!" he snarled. "Simple fact is I couldn't afford to take any chances. But I really didn't think you'd be imbecilic enough to report me--since we're both in the same boat. If the Saturnians murder me, they murder you too! Remember that!" "So that's what you decoyed me into the car to say, Mr. Dunbar?" "I didn't decoy you. But I did want to warn you. If you give me your solemn promise, Eleanor, to keep a tight lock on your tongue, and not interfere with me any further, I'll let you go about your way. But not unless!" "I don't propose to argue with you, Mr. Dunbar!" Her tones were slow, incisive, cutting. "Now if you'll have the kindness to give the driver my address--" "Not so fast there, my girl! We've still got some things to thresh out. Just because you don't seem to care about your own life, it doesn't follow I'm going to let you throw mine away!" At last the mask was falling off. He glared; his teeth bit into his lower lip; his manner was truculent. "Good Lord, Eleanor, don't you know those Saturnians are watching everything you do? How long do you think their patience will last? What do you suppose old Red-Hood will do when he finds you're all set to betray him?" "Betray _him_?" Scornfully she laughed. "So that's the only betrayal you're thinking of? Now will you kindly give that driver my address?" He made no move to obey. "If you won't, then I will!" she decided, starting up. But a powerful hand had seized her, and thrust her back. "I tell you, my girl, we've got to thresh this out!" "I tell you, there's nothing to thresh out!" Before her inner vision there flashed again a figure, with pain-tormented eyes, who dangled helplessly high in air. And she clenched her fists, and secretly swore a bitter oath. "So then it's not peace, but a sword?" he flung out, as if reading her thoughts. "In that case, you force me to act in self-defense!"