Page:Arthur Stringer - The Hand of Peril.djvu/43

 She stood there, staring at him, almost challengingly at first. Then her eyes fell, as though worsted in that silent duel of wills. She started to speak, hesitated, and remained silent. Then she turned slowly about and walked quietly out of the room.

The moment she was gone Lambert's manner changed. He moved with a celerity surprising in one of his years.

"Now, Tony, quick—get the notes into that bag of yours. And the plates. We must have every plate, remember!" He was himself busy going through the drawers of one of the work-tables as he talked. "Never mind the other stuff—that will take time. And there's been too much time wasted here already."

Lambert snapped shut the club bag into which he had been cramming the different things caught up from the rummaged drawers. Then he stepped quickly to the door, listened for a moment, and crossed to Kestner's side. The expression on his face was extremely disturbing to the man in the high-backed chair.

"So you work alone, Monsieur Kestner!" he said with a cold smile of mockery. "You come after us singlehanded! I admire your courage, sir, but I deplore your lack of judgment!"

With his left hand, as he spoke, he deftly cut the gag which held apart Kestner's aching jaws. With his right hand at the same instant, he reached down into his pocket and brought forth the girl's sombre-looking hammerless Colt. With an equally quick