" We don't live like that nowadays !sx " .sx Dowson met them at the door .sx For some reason or other David was half sorry and half relieved to see him .sx " This young lady , Dowson , " he directed , " has the entree of the house .sx She can come whenever she chooses , whether I'm here or not .sx " " Very good , my lord , " was the expressionless reply .sx David handed her over , and listened to her light laugh as she passed down the hall .sx Then he closed the door , and , moving over to his desk , opened a letter , the outside of which at least was intriguing .sx It was a large , square , mauve envelope , addressed to him in ill-formed , sprawling hand-writing , which still possessed a certain character .sx Even as he drew out the contents , a wave of inspiration told him from whom this communication came .sx A faint but pungent odour seemed to cling to his fingers :sx " DAVE , you must keep away from here .sx This is serious .sx They mean having you , and Tottie Green is the worst of them all .sx He has never yet allowed a blow to be struck in his apartments .sx To-day he would have taken the risk .sx He'd have had you killed , if you hadn't been so quick .sx Why do you come ?sx You can't do any good .sx Why is it ?sx Sheer bravado ?sx Well , you've done it often enough .sx Let them think you have the diamond .sx They'll keep you alive then .sx " I don't know why I'm writing to warn you .sx I suppose I should get it myself if they knew but there it is !sx Don't come near here again .sx At any hour of the morning , afternoon or night , you would be in danger of your life .sx " BELLE .sx " P.S. I wouldn't mind meeting you anywhere else !sx " David laughed softly to himself as he tore up the letter .sx " I rather believe that you're right , my beautiful Juno , " he murmured , as he watched the blazing fragments .sx XV .sx DAVID had taken the last sip of his final whisky-and-soda , and knocked out the remains of his pipe into the ash-tray .sx It was striking twelve o'clock , and he was no lover of late hours .sx The doors of the house were barred and bolted , the burglar alarms set .sx He rose to his feet with a yawn .sx As he crossed the room , the telephone bell rang .sx .. Afterwards he asked himself whether there was any possible way in which he could account for the thrill which shot through him at the familiar sound , at the haste with which he snatched at the receiver , at the eagerness with which he spoke into the tube .sx Dead thing though it was , there had been something sinister , alarming , in its staccato summons .sx " Hullo !sx " he called out .sx He recognised at once the answering voice , racked and broken though it was with pain .sx " Mr. Newberry , for the love of heaven the Gym .sx .. Quick !sx They've got me Dick Ebben too .sx .. Oh , my God !sx " .sx There was silence .sx The communication had been cut off .sx David did not hesitate for a moment .sx He hurried into a long , thick overcoat , filled an automatic pistol from a drawer of his bureau , and made his way out to the hall .sx Fortunately , the last few days had been days of caution .sx He did nothing blindly .sx He remembered Dowson's warning , repeated several times lately , that an unsavoury-looking little stranger had been haunting the area steps .sx He pulled back the spring lock , opened the front door slowly inch by inch , his body tense , ready for any form of attack .sx He had scarcely reached the steps before it came .sx From some secret lurking-place , David was conscious of the bat-like dart of a small doubled-up human being , and in the light from the electric standard caught the flash of that thin , uplifted ripple of steel .sx There was a shriek of pain as the knife shot up into the air to descend clattering into the area .sx The other hand , with its skinny , yellow-stained fingers was caught and bent backwards .sx Even then the would-be murderer had one trick left .sx He bit viciously at David's hand , his yellow teeth like the fangs of a wild animal , the savagery of the human beast rampant .sx One glimpse of his expression , and any gleam of pity David might have felt faded away .sx He was dealing with a mad creature , crazy with the lust to kill .sx There was no one in sight for the moment .sx The drivers of the two taxi-cabs upon the stand were on the other side of their vehicles .sx The policeman at the corner was looking down towards Queen Street .sx David tensed his muscles , lifted his unwholesome burden as high as his head , and sent it hurtling over into the area after the knife .sx He fell there with a dull thud .sx There was not even a moan of pain .sx Without a glance downwards , David crossed the street , found the driver of the first taxi , and showed him a pound note .sx " Corner of Swan's Alley , High Street , HoIborn , " he directed .sx " Drive like hell .sx " They sped away through the still crowded streets .sx David glanced at his automatic , tested the loading carefully , and thrust it back into his pocket .sx The call which he had received might have been a faked one to induce him to leave the house with Fred the Ripper there in waiting .sx On the other hand , the voice had been uncommonly like Sam West's , and the Gymnasium after hours was his arranged meeting-place with Ebben .sx .. In the Strand they were checked , but along Aldwych they were again in full speed .sx The man had earned his money when they drew up at the corner of Swan Alley , and David pressed the note into his hand .sx " You can wait if you like , " he enjoined .sx " I am coming back presently .sx " He hurried along the narrow way , passed the silent warehouses , and the gloomy churchyard opposite , to where , at the end , appeared the carved sign of Abbs's Gymnasium .sx There were no lights burning , no sign of any disturbance .sx Everything was perfectly quiet , yet David , even after he had inserted the key in the lock , stood for fully half a minute listening .sx Finally he opened the door , stepped very slowly across the threshold , and flashed the electric torch he was carrying into the long .sx room , partially visible already from the light shining in from outside , grey and ghostly in its bareness , mysterious where the gymnastic apparatus , partially swathed in dust sheets , was faintly defined in a pool of blackness .sx He moved to the wall , and switched on the electric light .sx As soon as he had done so , he knew that something was wrong .sx The office door was half open , and a pane of glass broken .sx Warily , and with an ever-growing sense of apprehension , he crossed the floor , and turned on the switch which illuminated the room .sx A little groan escaped his lips as the light flared out .sx Ebben lay doubled up on the floor , the back of his head smashed in as though by one tremendous blow .sx Almost by his side Sam West was lying with a knife in his chest , and blood slowly oozing through his garments to the floor .sx In the background were two easy-chairs drawn together , and on the table an open box of cigars , two glasses , and a partially filled bottle of whisky .sx The scene almost reconstructed itself :sx Ebben , a little nervous but avaricious , bargaining as to the value of the information he had brought ; Sam West only anxious to do his master's bidding .sx The lights in the outside warehouse had probably been unlit .sx The assassins had stolen through the darkness to the very threshold of the office before they had launched their attack .sx David shivered as he pulled the door to and closed it .sx .. Once more in the warehouse , for several seconds he stood intensely on the qui vive .sx There had been many small indications that the terrible deed , the result of which he had just witnessed , had been committed during the last few minutes .sx If so , how had the murderer or murderers escaped ?sx The door had been properly locked , he had encountered no one in the alley , no one lurking in the dark corners .sx Even with the electric lights commanding it , there were plenty of hiding-places in the long corridor below .sx He stood peering intently into the carpet of gloom .sx To have used his electric torch would have helped him little , and would have invited trouble .sx Trusting instead to his hearing , which was remarkably acute , more than once it struck him that he heard a faint , stealthy movement as of someone dragging himself along the floor .sx He crept farther and farther towards the opposite wall , and peered down the long line of windows .sx Almost instantly he realised that one near the bottom end was being softly opened .sx With the slow , upraising of the sash , he began to hear faintly the sounds of the traffic in Holborn .sx He stole a little lower down .sx The darkness was still almost impenetrable , but there was a slightly greyer shade about the window he suspected .sx He watched , almost holding his breath .sx Presently grey became black , still leaving chinks of the lighter colour .sx Then there loomed into sight the outline of a human form trying to get through the window .sx David drew his automatic , and hesitated .sx Even at his present range , a touch upon the trigger might spell death .sx He thought of the two men in the office behind , and he hesitated no longer .sx The report sounded like the discharge of a cannon under the narrow , vaulted roof .sx He pulled the trigger once again , and dropped on to his stomach .sx A stab of flame flashed through the gloom .sx Spit came the bullets upon the wall behind him two , three , four .sx He let out a cry of agony as though wounded .sx There was a chuckle .sx from below , the disappearance of the dark mass of obscurity , and then silence .sx David leaped to his feet , and crossed to the outside door .sx He was in the alley within a dozen seconds , but the place was empty .sx He sped down it , passing the open window , hastening towards the main thoroughfare .sx The man whom he was stalking was already lost amongst the multitude .sx He paused upon the pavement , uncertain which way to turn .sx .. A heavy hand descended upon his shoulder .sx A sergeant of police was standing by his side with a constable in reserve .sx The former's tone was moderately polite , but firm , and his right hand continued to rest upon David's shoulder .sx " May I ask what you are doing out in this street , sir , with an automatic pistol which has apparently , " the man added , stooping down and sniffing , " been recently discharged ?sx " .sx " Chasing a murderer , " was the grim reply .sx " He must have been within a foot of you .sx " XVI .sx THE three men , David closely escorted in the middle , started up the alley .sx Almost immediately they were overtaken by a small man in plain clothes , whom the sergeant saluted respectfully .sx " What's wrong , sergeant ?sx " the new-comer asked .sx " We just saw this gentleman hurrying down the alley with the gun in his hand which Cookton is carrying , sir , " the sergeant replied .sx " Two barrels had been discharged recently .sx According to him , there's been some trouble at Abby's Gymnasium .sx " " Abbs's Gymnasium ?sx " the other repeated .sx " Surely that doesn't keep open till this time of the night ?sx " .sx " Not in an ordinary way , " David explained .sx " The place happens to belong to me .sx My manager was there late had some business with a friend .sx I got a telephone message that something was wrong , and I hurried down .sx " " And your name , sir ?sx " .sx " David Newberry Lord Newberry , to be precise .sx 17a John Street , my address .sx " " I am Detective-Inspector Milsom of Scotland Yard , " the man in plain clothes confided .sx " I thought I heard some shooting , and I slipped out of my taxi to see what was going on .sx The sergeant says that he had an automatic of yours of which two barrels have been recently discharged .sx " David nodded .sx " I don't know exactly how the law looks at these things , " he admitted ; " but after having seen the bodies of two men who had been brutally murdered , I had two or three shots at a man I couldn't possibly have captured , getting out of a window .sx He had three or four back at me .sx You'll be able to see the marks in the wall .sx "