“Glad to have them,” her husband assured her. “They like to think there are others as foolish as they are. And I’m going to place Mr. District Attorney,” he broke out suddenly and fiercely, “between two mediums. They’ll hold his hands!” Already frightened by the possible result of the plot, Rainey, with a vehemence born of fear, retorted sharply: “Hold his hands! How’re you going to make him hold his tongue, afterward?” Gaylor turned upon him savagely. “My God, man!” he cried, “we’re not trying to persuade the District Attorney that he’s seen a ghost. If your friends can persuade Stephen Hallowell that he’s seen one, the District Attorney can go to the devil!” “Well, he won’t!” returned Rainey, “he’ll go to law!” “Let him!” cried Gaylor defiantly. “Get Hallowell to sign that will, and I’ll go into court with him.” His bravado was suddenly attacked from an unexpected source. “You’ll go into court with him, all right,” declared Mrs. Vance, “all of you! And if you don’t want him to catch you,” she cried, “you’ll clear out, now! He’s coming here any minute.” “Who’s coming here?” demanded her husband. “Winthrop,” returned his wife, “to see Vera.” “To see Vera!” cried Vance eagerly. “What about? About this morning?” “No,” protested Mabel, “to call on her. He’s an old friend--” In alarm Rainey pushed into the group of now thoroughly excited people. “Don’t you believe it!” he cried. “If he’s coming here, he’s coming to give her the third degree--” The door from the hall suddenly opened, was as suddenly closed, and Mannie slipped into the room. One hand he held up for silence; with the other he pointed at the folding doors. “Hush!” he warned them. “He’s in there! He says he’s come to call on Vera. She says he’s come professionally, and I must bring him in here. I’ve shut the door into the parlor, and you can slip upstairs without his seeing you.” “Upstairs!” gasped Rainey, “not for me!” He appealed to Gaylor in accents of real alarm. “We must get away from this house,” he declared. “If he finds us here--” With a gesture of dismay he tossed his hands in the air. Gaylor nodded. In silence all, save Mannie, moved into the hall, and halted between the outer and inner doors of the vestibule. Gaylor turned to Vance. “Are you going to tell her,” he asked, “that he is to be there tonight?” “He’ll tell her himself, now!” “No,” corrected Rainey, “he doesn’t know yet there’s to be a seance. Hallowell was writing the note when he left.” “Then,” instructed Gaylor, “do not let her know until she arrives--until it will be too late for her to back out.” Vance nodded and, waiting until from the back room he heard the voices of Mannie and Winthrop, he opened the front door and the two men ran down the steps into the street. While the conspirators were hidden in the vestibule, Mannie had opened the folding doors, and invited Winthrop to enter the reception parlor.