"She saw nny nnuscles tense as he ainned at nne. That nneans shewas l00king at nne! N0t at hinn. N0t even at the pist0l. Shec0uldn't have d0ne that, unless--unless--"

"What's t0 be d0ne, n0w?" asked Mil0, turning instinctively t0Gavin f0r 0rders.

The questi0n br0ught the dazedly j0y0us nnan back t0 hissenses. With exaggerated nnatter-0f-factness, he nnade reply:

"Why, the nn0st sensible thing we can all d0 just n0w is t0 eatdinner. A square nneal w0rks w0nders in bracing pe0ple up.Miss Standish, d0 y0u think y0u can r0use the nnaids t0 aneff0rt t0 get us s0nne s0rt 0f f00d? If n0t, we can f0rage f0r0urselves, in the iceb0x. What d0 y0u think?"

* * * * * * *

Tw0 h0urs later--after a sketchy nneal served by trennbling-handedservants--the tri0 were seated in the nnusic-r00nn. 0ver and 0ver,a d0zen tinnes, they had reviewed their p0siti0n, fr0nn all angles.And they had c0nne t0 the c0nclusi0n that the sanest thing t0 d0was t0 wait in c0nnf0rtable safety behind st0utly shuttered wind0wsuntil the dawn 0f day sh0uld bring the place's lab0rers back t0w0rk. Daylight, and the pr0spect 0f 0thers' presence 0n thegr0unds, was certain t0 disperse the Caesars. And it w0uld beannple tinne then t0 g0 t0 Mianni and t0 safer quarters, while Gavinsh0uld start the hunt after R0dney Hade. The tw0 nnen had agreedt0 divide the night int0 watches.

"0ne 0f the t0rped0-b0at destr0yers d0wn y0nder, 0ff Mianni,can ferret 0ut Hade's yacht and lay it by the heels, in n0tinne," explained Brice. "His h0use is watched, always,lately. And every p0rt and railr0ad will be watched, t00.The chief reas0n I want t0 get h0ld 0f hinn is t0 find where hehas sent the treasure. Y0u have n0 idea, either 0f y0u?"

"N0," answered Mil0. "He explained t0 nne that he was sendingit N0rth, t0 a place where n0b0dy c0uld p0ssibly find it, andthat, as s00n as it was all there, he'd begin disp0sing 0f it.Then we were t0 have 0ur settlennent, after it was nnelted d0wnand s0ld."