“Gamba’s specialty is strangling,” explained Doctor Bergius. “His work is slower but not less sure. Once let him get those hairy hands of his around your throat, and you’ll have to kill him to make him let go. You love to get your fingers round a windpipe, don’t you, Gamba?”
Gamba grinned broadly, clutching and gripping with his hands in a suggestive manner.
“All right, Gamba, you can account for the chauffeur. As for you, Castelli, I leave you the Englishman. Now that these preliminaries are all settled I can take a smoke.”
With a sigh of satisfaction Doctor Bergius sank down in the big arm-chair and lit a cigarette.
“Ah,” he sighed again, “what would life be without the soothing weed? You can have women and wine, Castelli; I would not exchange them both for nicotine. This is a comfortable den, Vulning; I feel quite at home already. Ha! I see you have the papers there. Castelli, hand them to me.”
The Italian took the system from Vulning’s hand and gave it to the doctor.
“Thank you. I imagine it’s all here. Also ...” he turned to Hugh, “it’s translator. Excellent. You know, Vulning, you’ve given me a lot of trouble. We were both on the same errand, only you went out by the door just as I came in by the window. What a pity you closed that safe. How was I to know it was empty? There I was struggling to open it, when the old man woke up. Golaz had to take his case in hand. The methods of Golaz are not refined but they are effective. Well, now to business.”
Doctor Bergius turned over the leaves of the system. “Here it is in my hands at last, the key that opens the golden gates of wealth. I say, Vulning, I’m sorry for you. You worked hard for this. I’m not such a bad chap after all. I’m going to take you in with us. You and Castelli can be on the same footing. The others can rank with Golaz and Gamba. Do you accept?”
Vulning nodded sullenly; the other two with alacrity.
“Good. You may lower your hands. And now let us come to this young man you have so beautifully bound, and I fear, so sadly maltreated. Your methods are primitive. I think I can show you a better way to make him listen to reason. Golaz, bring in the girl.”