Slowly Michael took a gold case from his pocket, selected a cigarette and lit it, throwing the match towards the dogs, an act which angered them to madness. “You want to be careful of those dogs,” warned the doctor. “They’re not the kind to monkey with. I don’t know what they would do to you, even if I were with you.” “They want to be careful of me,” said Dorn. “I had the death of more pariahs on my soul than any other police official in India during the term I was serving.” “They would get you before you got them,” said the doctor angrily. Michael Dorn smiled, and stretched out his hand stiffly before him. “Do you see that?” he asked. “Watch!” Where it came from, how it got there, Tappatt could not for the life of him tell; but though the hand apparently had not moved it was holding a short-barrelled Browning of heavy calibre. “Where on earth did that come from?” he gasped. “You had it there all the time----” “No, it came out of my pocket,” laughed Michael. Again he was engaged in one of his subtle acts of intimidation. “I’ll swear that it didn’t.” “Watch!” Again the hand was held stiffly. An imperceptible movement, whether up or down or backward Tappatt could not say, and the hand was empty. “It is a trick,” said Dorn carelessly. “And if you speak dog language you might explain to these hounds of yours that I am a man to leave severely alone. By-the-way, dog patrols have always been a specialty of yours? Wasn’t the trouble in Bengal over a patient who had been worried to death? Refresh my memory.” The doctor swallowed something, and then Dorn asked: “Why are these dogs chained up?” “I keep them chained.” “They weren’t chained last night. You knew I was in the neighbourhood, and that doesn’t seem to be the time to put them on the leash. Yet at four o’clock this morning they were fast. Why did you tie them up, doctor?” Their eyes met. “Shall I tell you why?” Tappatt was silent; the detective had returned at four o’clock in the morning; he had just missed the little procession that had crossed the fields! “Shall I tell you why?” Dorn asked again. “You’re in an informative mood,” sneered Tappatt. “Very. You tied them up because you took those two women out of the house last night, out through this yard, and you could only do that when you had put the dogs on the chain. Correct me if I’m wrong. They went out this way and they will come back this way.” Dr. Tappatt’s jaw dropped; this was a turn to his disadvantage with a vengeance. He had expected Dorn to be satisfied with his search and to leave some time during the day. His plan was not working as he had expected. “You can invite me to breakfast; I shall stay until they return.” “I swear to you that I know nothing whatever about any women,” protested Tappatt violently. “You’re making a mistake, Dorn! Anyway, you’ve no right here--you know that!” Michael shook his head.