“But what is the document?” she asked, and tried to turn it back to the first page, but he prevented her. Her suspicion was growing, and the reaction from that tremendous meeting had left her chilled and numb. Into her heart had crept an uneasy suspicion that the conditions he offered were not in his power to fulfil. All her instincts told her this man’s word was valueless. “I can do nothing until I have seen Mr. Dorn.” Why she mentioned the detective’s name at all, she could not understand. She wanted time. She mentioned the first name that occurred to her, and might as well have referred to Mr. Shaddles. “Dorn! So that’s how the land lies, eh? Michael Dorn is the favoured gentleman? Well, Dorn or no Dorn, you’ll marry me to-morrow morning at ten o’clock. I’ve gone too far to pull back now. And Dorn’s dead, anyway.” “Dead?” she cried in horror. “He came here this morning, looking for you, and----” The door was opening slowly. “I don’t want you, Tappatt. Shut the door, damn you!” But still it was moving, slowly, slowly. And then around the edge came the black muzzle of a pistol, an arm, and then, last, the smiling face of Michael Dorn! “Put up your hands, Praye!” he said. “I want you!” As the door opened and the hand came in, Chesney Praye’s fingers closed around an ebony ruler, and then, at the hateful sight of Michael Dorn’s face, he struck at the oil lamp that stood on the table. There was a crash, a jangle of broken glass, and Lois screamed. Praye darted past her; she heard the thud of the door, and a grunt from somebody. In another second the two men were at grips and she shrank back farther and farther into a corner of the room, as tables and chairs became involved in the struggle. She heard Chesney screaming for the doctor at the top of his voice. “Doctor--help! Get this swine!” And there came to the frightened ears of the girl the sound of the door being wrenched open, the scurry of footsteps, and Chesney’s voice was silent. “Stay where you are!” The room reeked with the smell of kerosene. “Don’t strike a light,” said Michael’s voice, but even as he spoke a white flame leapt up from the hearth. The flowing oil had reached some red-hot embers, and in a second the whole floor was blazing. The girl was paralysed with fear, but before she could move he had picked her up and carried her into the passage. “Go into the back, quick! The dogs won’t hurt you,” he said, and flew up the stairs, bursting into Mrs. Pinder’s prison. The room in which Mrs. Pinder had been confined was empty. There was no sign of the doctor or of the woman. He came down into the hall again and ran to the front door. As he opened the door, he saw Chesney’s big car going full speed towards the closed gates. There was a crack and a crash, the gates flew open, and the tail lights disappeared as the car turned on to the road.