“It strikes me,” put in Claudia, “that we ought to give Vic a tip that Carter is coming to call upon her, also that he has been out here.” “That’s right, too.” “If he is as clever as you say he is, Amos, he must be handled with gloves,” added the woman. “Vic ought to be warned of his visit, and of what his business consists, so that she may be ready for him, and head him off from any suspicion.” “I can inform her by telephone.” “It must be done.” “There’s no great rush,” replied Badger. “Carter will not arrive there for an hour.” “You must tell her just what we have done, and why we did it.” “Tell her that we held him up this morning?” “Yes, certainly; also that we got away with his watch and money.” “Why tell her all that?” “So she may know just how to handle him,” declared Claudia, with knit brows. “Vic is clever, all right, but she may queer us in some way when pitted against Nick Carter’s cleverness, unless she knows just what his game is, and what has happened out here.” “I’ll go and talk with her at once,” said Badger, now rising. “A good idea,” said Conley approvingly. “Let Vic alone to queer any game that he may have.” “Stop a moment, Amos,” cried his wife, with an afterthought. “Well?” “If Carter has formed any suspicion of us, as you appear to fear, he may start in at once with some of his underhand work.” “What do you mean?” “He may not tell Vic who he is.” “Possibly not.” “And he may lead her into some self-betrayal, in case he questions her closely while she is ignorant of his identity.” “What the deuce can we do to prevent that?” demanded Badger, with a frown. “I’ll tell you what,” said Claudia, who plainly possessed many of the crafty qualities of her sister. “Well, out with it.” “First, Amos, describe him to her so she cannot mistake him, and then——” “Hold on a bit,” interrupted Conley, who was an interested listener. “He may take it into his head to go there in disguise, since that’s a clever trick of his.” “That’s just what I was coming to, Jerry, if you had let me finish,” snapped Mrs. Badger. “We can easily head off any disguise he may adopt.” “How so?” “Merely by telling Vic that he wears a red carbuncle ring on the third finger of his left hand,” said Claudia. “He’ll not think it necessary to remove that, Amos, even if he does put on a disguise.” “By Jove! that’s so.” “Go, now, and tell her the whole business.” Badger hastened into the hall, where he was presently heard imparting in cautious terms, yet which he evidently knew would be readily understood, the information concerning Nick which had so puzzled him. It was because of what she now was told over the wire that Madame Victoria glanced first at Nick’s left hand when he entered her rooms, and at once recognized him in the disguise of Sibley.