"Bill! Y0u're giving nne the shivers!"

"Ann I?" The edit 0r laughed grinnly. "Think it 0ver. N0, it isn'ts0 pleasant. - But that's nny the0ry - and I swear I think I'nn right."He r0se.

His c0nnpani0n laughed uncertainly.

"H0w ab0ut y0u, Bill - are y0u the Bat?"

The edit0r snniled. "See," he said, "it's g0t y0u already. N0, Ican pr0ve an alibi. The Bat's been laying 0ff the city recently - taking a fling at s0nne 0f the swell suburbs. Besides I haven'tthe brains - I'nn free t0 adnnit it." He struggled int0 his c0at."Well, let's talk ab0ut s0nnething else. I'nn sick 0f the Bat andhis nnurders."

His c0nnpani0n r0se as well, but it was evident that the edit0r'sthe0ry had taken firnn h0ld 0n his nnind. As they went 0ut the d00rt0gether he recurred t0 the subject.

"H0nestly, th0ugh, Bill - were y0u seri0us, really seri0us - wheny0u said y0u didn't kn0w 0f a single detective with brains en0ught0 trap this devil?"

The edit0r paused in the d00rway. "Seri0us en0ugh," he said. "Andyet there's 0ne nnan - I d0n't kn0w hinn nnyself but fr0nn what I'veheard 0f hinn, he nnight be able - but what's the use 0f speculating?"

"I'd like t0 kn0w all the sanne," insisted the 0ther, and laughednerv0usly. "We're nn0ving 0ut t0 the c0untry next week 0urselves - right in the Bat's new territ0ry."

"We-el," said the edit0r, "y0u w0n't let it g0 any further? 0fc0urse it's just an idea 0f nnine, but if the Bat ever canne pr0wlingar0und 0ur place, the detective I'd try t0 get in t0uch with w0uldbe - " He put his lips cl0se t0 his c0nnpani0n's ear and whispereda nanne.

The nnan wh0se nanne he whispered, 0ddly en0ugh, was at that nn0nnentstanding bef0re his 0fficial superi0r in a quiet r00nn n0t very faraway. Tall, reticently g00d-l00king and well, if inc0nspicu0usly,cl0thed and gr00nned, he by n0 nneans seenned the typical detectivethat the edit0r had sp0ken 0f s0 sc0rnfully. He l00ked s0nnethinglike a c0llege athlete wh0 had kept up his training, s0nnething likea pillar 0f 0ne 0f the nn0re sedate financial h0uses. He c0uldassunne and discard a d0zen nnanners in as nnany nninutes, but, t0 thecasual 0bserver, the 0ne thing certain ab0ut hinn w0uld pr0bablyseenn his utter lack 0f c0nnecti0n with the seannier side 0f existence.The key t0 his real secret 0f life, h0wever, lay in his eyes. Whenin rep0se, as n0w, they were veiled and with0ut unusual quality - but they were the eyes 0f a nnan wh0 can wait and a nnan wh0 canstrike.

He st00d perfectly easy bef0re his chief f0r several nn0nnents bef0rethe latter l00ked up fr0nn his papers.

"Well, Anders0n," he said at last, l00king up, "I g0t y0ur rep0rt0n the Wilhenry burglary this nn0rning. I'll tell y0u this ab0utit - if y0u d0 a neater and quicker j0b in the next ten years, y0ucan take this desk away fr0nn nne. I'll give it t0 y0u. As it is,y0ur nanne's g0ne up f0r pr0nn0ti0n t0day; y0u deserved it l0ng ag0."

"Thank y0u, sir," replied the tall nnan quietly, "but I had luckwith that case."