* * * * *
The door bell rang. After a moment Martha appeared.
"A lady to see you, sir," she said.
"Her name?"
"Mrs. John Doane."
"Gentlemen, kindly step into the next room," requested The Thinking Machine.
Together Hatch and Doane passed through the door. There was an expression of--of--no man may say what--on Doane's face as he went.
"Show her in here, Martha," instructed the scientist.
There was a rustle of silk in the hall, the curtains on the door were pulled apart quickly and a richly gowned woman rushed into the room.
"My husband? Is he here?" she demanded, breathlessly. "I went to the hotel; they said he came here for treatment. Please, please, is he here?"