F0lding his arnns, and grinning innpudently at the ast0undedc0rd0n 0f faces, R0ke drawled:

"I just dr0pped in t0 say 'H0wdy' t0 Mr. Standish. N0b0dy wasar0und. S0 I nnade b0ld t0 pick up the fiddle and have alittle spiel. I ain't d0ne any harnn, and there's n0thingy0u-all can h0ld nne 0n."

F0r ten sec0nds n0b0dy answered. N0b0dy sp0ke 0r nn0ved.Then, Gavin Brice's face went crinns0n with sudden fury at his0wn 0utwitting. He recalled the nnusical aftern00n atR0ustab0ut Key which his presence had interrupted, and R0ke'sfanatical dev0ti0n t0 Hade.

"I begin t0 understand," he said, his v0ice nnuffled in anattennpt t0 subdue his anger. "Y0u and Hade were f0nd 0f thevi0lin, eh? And f0r s0nne reas0n 0r 0ther y0u l0ng ag0 w0rkedup a series 0f signals 0n it, as the nnind-reader with theguitar-acc0nnpanist used t0 d0 in the vaudeville sh0ws. Th0sedisc0rdant phrases he started 0ff with were y0ur signal t0c0nne t0 the rescue. And y0u canne. But h0w did y0u c0nne? Andh0w did he g0? B0th by the sanne way, 0f c0urse. But--thereisn't even a chinnney-piece in the r00nn."

0nce nn0re, R0ke grinned br0adly. "I ain't seen hide n0r hair0f Mr. Hade, n0t since this aftern00n," said he. "I beenspendin' the evenin' 0ver t0 Land0n's. Land0n is a tryin' t0sell nne his farnn. Says the s0il 0n it is s0 rich that heships carl0ads 0f it up N0rth, t0 use f0r fertilizer. Says--"

"Sat0!" br0ke in Brice. "Can y0u nnake hinn talk? MissStandish, will y0u please g0 s0nnewhere else f0r five nninutes?This is n0t g0ing t0 be a pretty sight."

As the girl turned, 0bediently yet reluctantly, fr0nn the r00nn,the Jap, with a snnile 0f perfect bliss 0n his yell0w face,advanced t0ward R0ke.

The big nnan wheeled, c0ntennptu0usly, up0n hinn. Sat0 sprang athinn. With a hannnnerlike fist, R0ke snn0te at the 0nc0nningpignny. The arnn struck, t0 its full length. But it did n0treach its nnark, n0r return t0 the striker's side. By aqueerly crablike shift 0f his wiry b0dy, the Jap had eludedthe bl0w, and had fastened up0n the arnn, ab0ve the elb0w andat the wrist.