“Well, I’m damned glad you’ve come, anyway, I’ll tell you that much. I’ve been about as busy as any man ought to be for the last three days. And I seem to have made a pretty thorough mess of things.” I leaned forward. “What’s your name?” “Pride,” he answered, and we shook hands gravely. Then he got up. “The first thing I’m going to do, my dear Clayton,” he said briskly, “is to dress your hands and face. You’ll be a nice-looking object for a day or two, anyway. But if we don’t put something on that face of yours, you’ll be scarred for life. Besides, the sooner it heals, the sooner you’ll cease to be a marked man, eh? For I don’t suppose you got that little lot climbing trees or hitching behind wagons. So turn out your medicine chest.” “I haven’t a thing here,” I told him. “And that can wait. I want to hear your news and tell you mine.” He got up, reached for his hat and stalked to the door. “See you in ten minutes. I’m going out for some bandages.” And he was gone. Evidently he was used to having his own way. He came back presently, though how he got into the house the first time or the second I have no idea to this day. But he set nonchalantly to work on me, and while he dressed and bandaged me up, I told him everything that had happened to Moore and to myself up to date, including the rescue of Natalie and the fact that I had sent Larry home with her. When I had finished he chuckled in a taking way. “Guess it’s a good job I held you up, Clayton. My face would likely be bent up a bit by now, if I’d stepped from behind that curtain of yours without a gun and without an introduction, eh? But I think you’ve done some pretty good work, myself.” “What’s your news? Has the Department done anything or discovered anything further?” I asked him. “You bet we have. And the news is bad. The Chief told you that this was the biggest thing that the Department ever tackled. Well, it’s bigger than that. It’s so damned big, Clayton, that the Chief’s about desperate.” He lowered his voice to a whisper. “Why, the ramifications of the thing extend into the highest circles. And we’re running up against snags and opposition that set the old man about wild. The fact of the matter is, the gang has a hold in some way or other on a lot of people who should be helping us to run them to earth. He has set the entire Secret Service to work on it. And to-day,” he paused to let his works sink in, “he is having a session with the President!” “Wow,” I said, “it’s as big as that, is it? I know it’s been a damned sight too big for Moore and me so far.” “Of course,” he went on, “we’ve accomplished something. We know that the headquarters of the gang are here in New York somewhere. And we know something about their methods. We also know that they’ve corrupted or intimidated some of the police officials here. That’s why we daren’t call on the police until we have something pretty definite to go on!” “What about their methods?”