"Mary!" Griggs cried. His usual vacuity of expression was cast off like a mask and alarm twisted his features. Then, in the next instant, a crafty triumph gleamed from his eyes.

"Yes, she's on," Garson interpreted, a moment later, as the tapping ceased for a little. He translated in a loud whisper as the irregular ticking noise sounded again.

"I shall be there at the house almost at once. I am sending this message from the drug store around the corner. Have some one open the door for me immediately."

"She's coming over," Griggs cried incredulously.

"No, I'll stop her," Garson declared firmly.

"Right! Stop her," Chicago Red vouchsafed.

But, when, after tapping a few words, the forger paused for the reply, no sound came.

"She don't answer," he exclaimed, greatly disconcerted. He tried again, still without result. At that, he hung up the receiver with a groan.

"She's gone----"

"On her way already," Griggs suggested, and there was none to doubt that it was so.

"What's she coming here for?" Garson exclaimed harshly. "This ain't no place for her! Why, if anything should go wrong now----"

But Griggs interrupted him with his usual breezy cheerfulness of manner.

"Oh, nothing can go wrong now, old top. I'll let her in." He drew a small torch from the skirt-pocket of his coat and crossed to the hall door, as Garson nodded a.s.sent.

"G.o.d! Why did she have to come?" Garson muttered, filled with forebodings. "If anything should go wrong now!"

He turned back toward the door just as it opened, and Mary darted into the room with Griggs following. "What do you want here?" he demanded, with peremptory savageness in his voice, which was a tone he had never hitherto used in addressing her.

Mary went swiftly to face Garson where he stood by the desk, while Griggs joined the other two men who stood shuffling about uneasily by the fireplace, at a loss over this intrusion on their scheme. Mary moved with a lissome grace like that of some wild creature, but as she halted opposite the man who had given her back the life she would have thrown away, there was only tender pleading in her voice, though her words were an arraignment.

"Joe, you lied to me."

"That can be settled later," the man snapped. His jaw was thrust forward obstinately, and his clear eyes sparkled defiantly.

"You are fools, all of you!" Mary cried. Her eyes darkened and distended with fear. They darted from Garson to the other three men, and back again in rebuke. "Yes, fools! This is burglary. I can't protect you if you are caught. How can I? Oh, come!" She held out her hands pleadingly toward Garson, and her voice dropped to beseeching. "Joe, Joe, you must get away from this house at once, all of you. Joe, make them go."

"It's too late," was the stern answer. There was no least relaxation in the stubborn lines of his face. "We're here now, and we'll stay till the business is done."

Mary went a step forward. The cloak she was wearing was thrown back by her gesture of appeal so that those watching saw the snowy slope of the shoulders and the quick rise and fall of the gently curving bosom. The beautiful face within the framing scarf was colorless with a great fear, save only the crimson lips, of which the bow was bent tremulously as she spoke her prayer.

"Joe, for my sake!"

But the man was inexorable. He had set himself to this thing, and even the urging of the one person in the world for whom he most cared was powerless against his resolve.

"I can't quit now until we've got what we came here after," he declared roughly.

Of a sudden, the girl made shift to employ another sort of supplication.

"But there are reasons," she said, faltering. A certain embarra.s.sment swept her, and the ivory of her cheeks bloomed rosily. "I--I can't have you rob this house, this particular house of all the world." Her eyes leaped from the still obdurate face of the forger to the group of three back of him. Her voice was shaken with a great dread as she called out to them.

"Boys, let's get away! Please, oh, please! Joe, for G.o.d's sake!" Her tone was a sob.

Her anguish of fear did not swerve Garson from his purpose.

"I'm going to see this through," he said, doggedly.

"But, Joe----"

"It's settled, I tell you."

In the man's emphasis the girl realized at last the inefficacy of her efforts to combat his will. She seemed to droop visibly before their eyes. Her head sank on her breast. Her voice was husky as she tried to speak.

"Then----" She broke off with a gesture of despair, and turned away toward the door by which she had entered.

But, with a movement of great swiftness, Garson got in front of her, and barred her going. For a few seconds the two stared at each other searchingly as if learning new and strange things, each of the other. In the girl's expression was an outraged wonder and a great terror. In the man's was a half-shamed pride, as if he exulted in the strength with which he had been able to maintain his will against her supreme effort to overthrow it.

"You can't go," Garson said sharply. "You might be caught."

"And if I were," Mary demanded in a flash of indignation, "do you think I'd tell?"

There came an abrupt change in the hard face of the man. Into the piercing eyes flamed a softer fire of tenderness. The firm mouth grew strangely gentle as he replied, and his voice was overtoned with faith.

"Of course not, Mary," he said. "I know you. You would go up for life first."

Then again his expression became resolute, and he spoke imperiously.

"Just the same, you can't take any chances. We'll all get away in a minute, and you'll come with us." He turned to the men and spoke with swift authority.

"Come," he said to Dacey, "you get to the light switch there by the hall door. If you hear me snap my fingers, turn 'em off. Understand?"

With instant obedience, the man addressed went to his station by the hall door, and stood ready to control the electric current.

The distracted girl essayed one last plea. The momentary softening of Garson had given her new courage.

"Joe, don't do this."

"You can't stop it now, Mary," came the brisk retort. "Too late. You're only wasting time, making it dangerous for all of us."

Again he gave his attention to carrying on the robbery.

"Red," he ordered, "you get to that door." He pointed to the one that gave on the pa.s.sageway against which he had set the chair tilted. As the man obeyed, Garson gave further instructions.

"If any one comes in that way, get him and get him quick. You understand? Don't let him cry out."

Chicago Red grinned with cheerful acceptance of the issue in such an encounter. He held up his huge hand, widely open.

"Not a chance," he declared, proudly, "with that over his mug." To avoid possible interruption of his movements in an emergency, he removed the chair Garson had placed and set it to one side, out of the way.

"Now, let's get to work," Garson continued eagerly. Mary spoke with the bitterness of defeat.