"Now, this is a dangerous game. It means disgrace if I get caught; but it means a pair of broken hearts if this poor girl gets caught," he thought. "I'll risk nobody coming, and run for another taxi." He hastened down the steps and walked around the corner, hurrying toward a big hotel which stood not far from Broadway. Here he found another taxicab. "There's a young lady sick at the house of one of my friends, and I'm taking her home," said Burke to the driver. "Hurry up, please." The second automobile sped over the street to the house where Burke had left the girl, and the officer hurried up the steps. He soon reappeared with Lorna in his arms, walked calmly down the steps, and put her into the car. This time he gave the correct home address, and the taxicab rumbled along on the last stretch of the race. They passed the first car, whose driver was already planning the ways to spend the money which he was to make by a little scientific blackmail. He was destined to a long wait in front of the brownstone mansion. After nearly an hour he decided to take things into his own hands. "I'll get a little now," he muttered with an accompaniment of profanity. "That guy can't stall me." After ringing the bell for several minutes a very angry caretaker came to the door. "What do you want, my man?" cried this individual in unmistakable British accents. "Dash your blooming impudence in waking me up at this time in the morning." "I want to get my taxicab fare from the gent that brought the lady here drunk!" declared the chauffeur. "Are you her father?" The caretaker shook a fist in his face as he snapped back: "I'm nobody's father. There ain't no gent nor drunk lady here. I'm alone in this house, and my master and missus is at Palm Beach. If you don't get away from here I'm going to call the police." With that he slammed the door in the face of the astounded chauffeur and turned out the light in the hall. The taxi driver walked down the steps slowly. "Well, that's a new game on me!" he grunted. "There's a new gang working this town as sure as I'm alive. I'm going down and put the starter wise." Down he went, to face a cross-examination from the starter, and an accounting for his time. He had to pay over seven dollars of his ten to cover the period for which he had the car out. Jimmie the Monk and Baxter had returned from their unsuccessful chase. As they made their inquiries from the starter and learned the care with which the coup d'etat had been arranged they lapsed into angry, if admiring, profanity. "Some guy, eh, Jimmie!" exclaimed Baxter. "But we'll find out who it was, all right. Leave it to me!" "Say, dat bloke was crazy--crazy like a fox, wasn't he?" answered Jimmie. "He let Shepard do de deal, and den he steals de kitty! Dis is what I calls cut-throat competition!" CHAPTER VII THE CLOSER BOND Once in the second taxicab Burke's difficulties were not at an end.