The company had come back to New York in the spring, and now nearly all the members were assembled at the studio, when the incident narrated in the first chapter took place. "Here it is!" cried Mr. Pertell, as, slipping his hand into the pocket of the accused actor, he brought forth a crumpled paper. "And wasn't he making notes, just as I said, of our new big play?" demanded Walsh. "That's what he was!" exclaimed the manager as he quickly scanned the crumpled document. "He didn't have time to make many notes, though." "No, I was too quick for him!" declared the tester. Harry Wilson had no more to say. His bravado deserted him and he was now in abject fear. "What have you to say for yourself?" demanded Mr. Pertell, angrily. The other did not answer. "Now, you get out of here!" ordered the manager, "and never come back." "I'll not go until I get what is coming to me," was the sullen retort. "If you got what is coming to you it would be arrest!" declared Walsh. "I want my money!" mumbled Wilson. "Here is an order on the cashier for it," said Mr. Pertell. "Get it and--go!" Hastily writing on a slip of paper, he tendered it to the actor, who took it without a word, and slunk off. The others watched him curiously. It was something they had never before witnessed--an attempt to gain possession of the secrets of the company--for a moving picture concern guards its films jealously, until they are "released," or ready for reproduction. "Curious," remarked Mr. Pertell, "but I had a distrust of that chap from the first. Do any of you know him?" "I acted mit him vunce in der Universal company, but he dit not stay long," said Mr. Switzer. "Probably he was up to some underhand work," observed Walsh. "I wonder what his object was?" went on the manager. "He evidently wasn't doing this for himself." Idly he turned over the scrap of paper on which the other had been making notes in the testing room. Then the manager uttered a cry of surprise. "Ha! The International Picture Company! This is part of one of their letter heads. So Wilson was working for them! They very likely sent him here to get a position, and instructed him to steal some of our secrets and ideas, if he could. The scoundrel!" "He didn't see much!" chuckled Walsh. "The film broke after a few feet had been run off, and I switched on the lights. He didn't see a great deal." "No, his notes show that," said the manager. "But only for that accident he might have learned of our plans and given our rivals information sufficient to spoil our big play." "Have you new plans?" asked Mr. DeVere, who was on very friendly terms with the manager.