"Marshall," he said, and despite the powerful effort his voice was hollow, "you will see the ladies safely cared for, I am called to attend a grave matter." "All right, Walcott," answered the young man, with cheery good-nature, "you are too serious, old man, trot along." "The poor dear," murmured Mrs. Steuvisant, after Walcott had helped them to the carriage and turned to go up the steps of the club,--"The poor dear is hard hit, and men are such funny creatures when they are hard hit." Samuel Walcott, as his fate would, went direct to the private writing-room and opened the door. The lights were not turned on and in the dark he did not see Mason motionless by the mantel-shelf. He went quickly across the room to the writing-table, turned on one of the lights, and, taking the envelope from his pocket, tore it open. Then he bent down by the light to read the contents. As his eyes ran over the paper, his jaw fell. The skin drew away from his cheek-bones and his face seemed literally to sink in. His knees gave way under him and he would have gone down in a heap had it not been for Mason's long arms that closed around him and held him up. The human economy is ever mysterious. The moment the new danger threatened, the latent power of the man as an animal, hidden away in the centres of intelligence, asserted itself. His hand clutched the paper and, with a half slide, he turned in Mason's arms. For a moment he stared up at the ugly man whose thin arms felt like wire ropes. "You are under the dead-fall, aye," said Mason. "The cunning of my enemy is sublime." "Your enemy?" gasped Walcott. "When did you come into it? How in God's name did you know it? How your enemy?" Mason looked down at the wide bulging eyes of the man. "Who should know better than I?" he said. "Haven't I broken through all the traps and plots that she could set?" "She? She trap you?" The man's voice was full of horror. "The old schemer," muttered Mason. "The cowardly old schemer, to strike in the back; but we can beat her. She did not count on my helping you--I, who know her so well."