Page:The Whisper on the Stair by Lyon Mearson (1924).djvu/165

 until he entered. With Val in the ring, Miss Pomeroy was able to put up a stiffer resistance to the importunities of the handless one. It was plain that she did not wish to marry Teck; it was also plain that she was afraid of him. It was fear, in addition to her feeling of gratitude to the man, that had led her to promise that she would marry him, Val decided.

And then there was the money. Evidently Teck had a shrewd idea as to its approximate whereabouts. Alone he would be able to hunt for it at his leisure; finding it, he would be in a masterful position as regards Miss Pomeroy. He could see already that the lady was taking far more interest in Val than the occasion—to him—seemed to warrant. Val was a dangerous rival and must be put out of the running. Hence his present position.

But Valentine Morley had no intention of being put out of the running. He intended to force the pace, and once free from his present predicament—and he did not doubt that he would get free, of course—he intended to put Teck in his proper place. He might not have been in a position to take any such action previously, but now that the mask had been flung away and Teck had come out openly as being desirous of his extinction, Val considered he had authority to take action in his own right; this he intended to do.

In the meantime, his greatest need was to get out of this room; to get away from the power of this man. Val was free to admit to himself that at the moment he did not see how this was to be accomplished. Alone he seemed to be powerless to do anything.

Now, if only Eddie Hughes had any idea of his whereabouts if, say, Eddie became alarmed about his absence, there would be a chance. Eddie was a very