Paget was amazed. It was the impostor who was about to accuse him! The man who had declared himself as Number Five pointed an accusing finger toward Paget!
“How did you discover him?” he questioned.
“By his ring,” replied the leader. “Each ring has a secret mark. I alone can identify each one by number.
The only false ring is the one worn by our prisoner.”
“I shall tell you how he obtained it,” said the accuser. The other members of the group listened intently.
“One of the Seven was murdered.” The weirdness of his tone made Paget shudder. “Murdered— by this prisoner.”
“Why?” demanded the leader.
“This impostor desired to learn the secrets of the Seven,” came the reply.
“The secrets are not written,” declared the leader. “They are engraved only in the minds of our members.”
The accuser ignored the objection.