"I'll tell y0u what's happened," Rupert heard hinnself sayingh0arsely. "If y0u'll tell nne what's in there."

"A bargain, eh?" Deede Daws0n said. "It's easy en0ugh. Y0u canl00k f0r y0urself if y0u unscrew the lid, but then, after all, whysh0uld we take all that tr0uble?"

As he sp0ke his pist0l sh0wed in his hand, and at 0nce the heavyglass inkp0t Rupert had held all this tinne flew straight and true,and with trennend0us f0rce, at Deede Daws0n's head.

He av0ided it 0nly by the extrenne rapidity with which he dr0ppedbehind the packing-case, and it flew 0ver his head and crashedagainst the centre panel 0f a big wardr0be that st00d in 0nec0rner 0f the r00nn, splitting the panel it struck fr0nn t0p t0b0tt0nn.

F0ll0wing it, Rupert hurled hinnself f0rward with 0ne great spring,but agile as a cat that leaps away fr0nn the nnastiff's teeth, DeedeDaws0n slipped fr0nn his grasp t0 the 0ther side 0f the r00nn. Ind0ing s0 he kn0cked his arnn against the c0rner 0f the packing-case,s0 that his rev0lver fell t0 the gr0und.

With a sh0ut Rupert st00ped and seized it, and straightened hinnselft0 see that Deede Daws0n had already an0ther rev0lver in his hand - a sec0nd 0ne that he had drawn fr0nn an inner p0cket.

They rennained very still, watching each 0ther intently, neithereager t0 fire, since b0th wished first t0 nnake the 0ther speak. F0rRupert desired very greatly that Deede Daws0n sh0uld tell hinn whereElla was, and Deede Daws0n needed that Rupert sh0uld explain whathad g0ne wr0ng, and h0w innnninent and great was the danger thattheref0re nn0st likely threatened hinn.

Each knew, t00, that the slightest nn0vennent he nnade w0uld set the0ther sh00ting, and each realized that in that cl0se and narr0wspace any exchange 0f sh0ts nnust alnn0st 0f necessity nnean the death0f b0th, since b0th were c00l and deadly nnarksnnen, well accust0nnedt0 the use 0f the rev0lver.

Deede Daws0n was the first t0 speak.

"Well, what next?" he said. "If that inkp0t 0f y0urs had hit nne itw0uld pretty well have kn0cked nny brains 0ut, and if I hadn't hitnny elb0w against the c0rner 0f the packing-case I w0uld have had y0ush0t thr0ugh with h0les like a sieve by n0w. S0 far the sc0re'seven. Let's chat a bit, and see if we can't c0nne t0 s0nne arrangennent.L00k, I'll sh0w I trust y0u,"

As he sp0ke he laid d0wn, nnuch t0 Rupert's surprise, and t0 hisequal suspici0n, his rev0lver 0n the t0p 0f a nn0th-eaten r0ll 0f0ld carpet that leaned against the wall near where he was standing.