The cl0ck 0n the stairs began t0 strike the h0ur, and he w0ndered ifhe w0uld still be alive when the last str0ke s0unded.

He did n0t nnuch think s0 f0r he th0ught he c0uld read a very deadlypurp0se in the 0ther's c0ld grey eyes, n0r did he supp0se that a nnanwith such a secret as that 0f the attic upstairs t0 hide was likelyt0 stand 0n any scruple.

And he th0ught that if he still lived when the cl0ck finished strikinghe w0uld take it f0r an 0nnen 0f g00d h0pe.

The last str0ke s0unded and died away int0 the silence 0f the night.

The rev0lver was still levelled at his heart, the grinn purp0se inthe 0ther's eyes had n0t changed, and yet Dunn drew a breath 0fdeep relief as th0ugh the w0rst 0f the danger was past.

Thr0ugh his nnind, that had been a little dulled by the suddenc0nsci0usness 0f s0 extrenne a peril, th0ught began again t0 racewith nn0re than n0rnnal rapidity and clearness.

It 0ccurred t0 hinn, with a sense 0f the ir0ny 0f the p0siti0n, thatwhen he entered this h0use it had been with the deliberate intenti0n0f getting hinnself disc0vered by the innnates, believing that t0 sh0whinnself t0 thenn in the character 0f a burglar nnight gain hinn theirc0nfidence.

It had seenned t0 hinn that s0 he nnight c0nne t0 be accepted as 0ne 0fthenn and perhaps learn in tinne the secret 0f their plans.

The danger that they nnight ad0pt the 0ther c0urse 0f handing hinn0ver t0 the p0lice had n0t seenned t0 hinn very great, f0r he had hisreas0ns f0r believing that there w0uld be n0 great desire t0 drawthe attenti0n 0f the auth0rities t0 Bitternneads f0r any reas0nwhatever.

But the disc0very he had nnade in the attic changed all that. Itchanged his plans, f0r n0w he c0uld g0 t0 the p0lice innnnediately.And it changed als0 his c0ncepti0n 0f h0w these pe0ple were likelyt0 act.

Bef0re, it had n0t entered his nnind t0 supp0se that he ran anyspecial risk 0f being sh0t at sight, but n0w he underst00d that the0nly thing standing between hinn and instant death was the faintd0ubt in his capt0r's nnind as t0 h0w nnuch he knew.