"Yes, sir," one of them replied.
"One of the waiters is a man of ours. Has he reported?"
"Not yet, sir."
They waited a few minutes, and another man slipped around the corner of the house.
"Everything is ready, sir," he reported. He was the waiter.
"How soon can you do your part?" the Black Star asked.
"In about five minutes."
"Off for about three minutes, and then on again!"
"Yes, sir," said the waiter, and he slipped away and reëntered the house.
The Black Star whispered a command, and the men scattered, keeping well in the darkness, but gradually surrounding the house, except in front, where it was brilliantly lighted.