“I understood,” he said, in a pleasant voice, “that after my introduction the other night I was at liberty to come here when I pleased.”
“Unfortunately,” said Crow, “you have made a mistake. We had no desire to see you then, much less had we any wish to set eyes on you again.”
“I should think not!” blared the bullet-headed man.
From the rest of the men came murmurs and angry words.
“My visit,” said Westerham, “should be of considerable interest to you all. It is also of considerable interest to myself, as it proves that you act independently of Melun. I understood from him that you held no council unless he was with you.”
“Are you his cursed spy?” cried the man on his right, rising from his seat and bringing his fist down with a bang on the table.
“No,” said Westerham, looking the man straight in the face, “I am not.”
“Sit down, Smith!” shouted Crow.
The man sat down.
“Now, my pretty gentleman,” Crow went on, “we have had enough of you, just as we have had enough of Melun, who has brought you into this business for no good so far as we are concerned, and we do not propose that matters should go any further; in fact, it is rather handy that you thought of coming down East to us, as otherwise we should have come up West to you.”