By Jove, this was a little too much, even for an easy-going chap like myself! The jolly worm will turn, you know. Dash me, before I knew what I was doing even, I had moved to his side and jerked the ruby from his hand. My face felt like a hot-water bottle as I did it. "You haven't got it yet," I said, "and I'll take devilish good care you don't get it." He fell back as though from a blow. "Why--why, old chap! Why, Lightnut!" he gasped. "What's the matter--what makes you look at me like that?" "Your liberties have gone just a bit too far, don't you know," I said, looking steadily in his fishy old eye. "I've had enough of you, by Jove, that's all!" He stared at me, and I could hear him breathing like a blacksmith's bellows. I would never have thought he had such lungs. Slowly his hand came out, and dash me if it wasn't shaking like he had the delirium what's-its-name. But for his tan, his face would have been as white as his hypocritical old whiskers. "Is this some infernal joke?" His face summoned a sickly smile that almost instantly faded. His hand fell back to his side. "Why, old fellow, you don't think that way about me, do you? As for the ruby, I--I don't want it now--I just want you to accept my apology for anything I've done, and--and let me get away." There was a short laugh from the doorway. "Likely enough," said Officer O'Keefe, his big figure swinging forward with long strides. "Keep him covered, Tim!" He planted himself between us with a grin. "You're 'it' again, Foxy! Jig's up. Will you go quietly?" It did me good to see how completely the old scoundrel was taken back. His wide distended bleary eyes shifted from O'Keefe to me and back again. It was a perfect surprise. I motioned to Jenkins to close the door of my friend's bedroom. So far, he had evidently slept serenely through all the trouble, and, if possible, I wanted to avoid arousing him now. For a fat man, Billings had the deuce of a temper when stirred up over anything like an imposition upon him, and it would only add to the confusion for him to appear on the scene and learn about his wallet and his treasured ruby that I had rescued. Foxy Grandpa's face had been rapidly undergoing a change. From pallor to pink it went; and then from pink to red. Now it was becoming scarlet. He threw his head back and faced me angrily. "Lightnut, will you tell me what the hell this means?" And his heavy voice thundered. "Here! Here! That'll be enough o' that," cried Officer O'Keefe sharply. "None of your grand-stand play here, or it'll be the worse for you. And no tricks, Braxton, or--" He clutched his stick menacingly. "Braxton!" snorted the old fellow. "Why, you born fool, my name's not Braxton!" "Not now," grinned O'Keefe. "Say, what _is_ your name now, Foxy?" "My name--" roared Foxy Grandpa, and paused abruptly. He looked rather blankly from one officer to the other. "See here; do I understand I'm under arrest?" he inquired.