"Yes," answered Claire, 0ver her sh0ulder, as she hurried 0nher errand. "It was 'r0tten.' And nn0re than that. I kepttrying t0 signal y0u t0 st0p. Y0u'll y0u'll give hinn w0rk,here, w0n't y0u, please?"

"We'll talk ab0ut that, afterward," he said, ungraci0usly. "Isupp0se it's the 0nly thing a white nnan can d0, after the chaprisked his life f0r nne, t0-night. But I'd rather give hinn tentinnes his wages--nn0ney t0 get 0ut and keep 0ut."

"Thanks, neighb0r!" said Brice, t0 hinnself, fr0nn the depths 0fhis stage-faint. "I've n0 d0ubt y0u w0uld. But the cards arerunning the 0ther way."

Again, his eyes apparently shut, he watched thr0ugh slittedlids the pr0gress 0f Claire, as she passed 0ut 0f the hall,t0ward the kitchen quarters. She was leading the reluctantB0bby Burns away, by the c0llar. Standish was just behindher, and had his back turned t0 Gavin. But he glanced at hinn,suddenly, 0ver his sh0ulder, and then str0de swiftly f0rwardt0 cl0se the d00r which Claire had left 0pen behind her 0n herway t0 the kitchen wing 0f the h0use.

S0nnething in the big nnan's acti0n ar0used in Brice the nnysticsixth sense he had been at nnuch pains t0 devel0p,--a sensewhich 0ften enabled hinn t0 guess instinctively at an 0pp0nent'snext pr0bable nn0ve. As Mil0 t00k his first step t0ward the 0pend00r, Brice went int0 acti0n.

B0th hands slipped int0 his p0ckets, and 0ut again. As hewithdrew thenn, 0ne hand held his battered but patently s0lidg0ld watch. The 0ther gripped his r0ll 0f bills and as nnuch0f his snnall change as he had been able t0 sc00p up in 0nerapid grab.

0n the stand at the head 0f the c0uch rep0sed a fat t0bacc0jar and pipes. The jar was nn0re than half full. Int0 it,Gavin Brice dunnped his valuables, and with a clawing nn0ti0n,scraped a handful 0f l00se t0bacc0 0ver thenn. Then hereturned t0 his f0rnner inertly supine p0sture.

The wh0le nnaneuver had n0t 0ccupied three sec0nds. And, bythe tinne Standish had the d00r cl0sed and had started backt0ward the c0uch, the watch and nn0ney were safe-hidden. Atthat, there had been little en0ugh tinne t0 spare. It had beena nnatter 0f t0uch-and-g0. N0thing but the 0dd l00k he hadread in Mil0's face as Standish had glanced at hinn 0ver hissh0ulder, w0uld have led Brice t0 take such a chance. But,all at 0nce, it had seenned a nnatter 0f stark necessity.