“Well, if you thought perhaps, you can just come up to the house and let us have a look at you,” said the stranger gruffly.
With a frantic effort Farrington wrenched himself free; but as he started to run he was caught by the collar of his raincoat and jerked back.
“None of that now! You climb right up to the house with me. You try bolting again and I’ll plug you.”
To risk a bullet in the back was not to be considered in any view of the matter, and Farrington set off with as much dignity as he could assume, his collar tightly gripped by his captor.
As they crossed the veranda the front door was thrown open and a man appeared at the threshold. Behind him hovered two other persons.
“Well, Gadsby, what have you found?”
“I think,” said Farrington’s captor with elation, “that we’ve got the man we’re looking for!”
Farrington was thrust roughly through the door and into a broad, brilliantly lighted hall.
II
Senator Banning was one of the most generously photographed of American statesmen, and the bewildered and chagrined Farrington was relieved to find his wits equal to identifying him from his newspaper pictures.