"I've figured that," said Sharrock bitterly. "You bought this place with my money—"
"With Bellamy's money—" corrected Tremont.
"With anybody's money but yours!" cried Sharrock. "You are up to new mischief. You had a cottage; now you have a castle. I know your game! You are tricking others — holding new prisoners—"
"Excellent reasoning," declared Tremont ironically, as Sharrock paused. "You have made a perfect deduction, Sharrock. So I think it would be a good plan to reward you.
"We are keeping this establishment. It is well guarded. It is necessary. So to terminate our discussion with you, we shall let you travel the route that others have taken, since your stepbrother made the precedent.
"How would you like to become one of the living dead?"
Sharrock's face blanched. He trembled. Tremont and Savette indulged in villainous smiles.
"To kill you would be a pleasure," declared Tremont. "Unfortunately, we do not know what foolish things you may have done before you reached here. It would be best to have you alive — so that you can speak — under Orlinov's pressure.
"So you shall taste of death. It was kind of you to come here. Others have not been so obliging. That box" — he pointed to the heavy object by the fireplace — "contains one new member for our colony. We were forced to ship him here as we shipped others. You have saved us that trouble.
"What do you say, doctor? We are very busy at present" — Tremont was smiling toward Savette — "and we cannot be annoyed with our good friend Sharrock at this moment. Shall we put him away for the death period of two days?"