“This is too much!” Mallowe stormed. “Young woman, you forget yourself! Because of the evil suggestions, the malevolent influence of this man’s plausible lies, are you such an ingrate as to turn upon your only friends, your father’s intimate, life-long associates, the people who have, from disinterested motives of the purest kindness and affection, provided for you, comforted you, and shielded you from the world? Anita, I cannot believe it of you! I will leave you, now. I am positively overcome with this added shock of your ingratitude and willful deceit, coming so soon after the blow of my poor friend’s death. I trust you will be in a thoroughly repentant frame of mind when next I see you.
“As for you, sir!” He turned to the immovable figure of the detective. “I will soon show you what it means to meddle with matters which do not concern you––to pit yourself arrogantly against the biggest power in this country!”
“The biggest power in this or any other country is the power of justice.” Blaine’s voice rang out trenchantly. “When you and your associates planned this desperate coup, it was as a last resort. You had involved yourselves too deeply; you had gone too far to retrace your steps. You were forced to go on forward––and now your path is closed with bars of iron!”
“I will not remain here any longer to be insulted! Miss Lawton, I shall never cross the threshold of this house again––this house, which only by my charity 283 you have been suffered to remain in––until you apologize for the disgraceful scene here this morning. I can only hope that you will soon come to your senses!”
As he strode indignantly from the room, Anita turned anxiously to Henry Blaine.
“Oh, what will he do?” she whispered. “He is really a power, a money-power, you know, Mr. Blaine! Where will he go now?”
“Straight to his confrère Carlis, and tell him that the game is up.” The detective spoke with brisk confidence. “He’ll be tailed by my men, anyway, so we shall soon have a report. Don’t see anyone, on any pretext whatsoever, and don’t leave the house, Miss Lawton. I will instruct Wilkes on my way out, that you are to be at home to no one. I must be getting back to my office now. If I am not mistaken, I shall receive a visit without unnecessary delay from my old friend Timothy Carlis, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world!”
Blaine’s prediction proved to have been well founded. Scarcely an hour passed, and he was deep in the study of some of his earlier notes on the case, when all at once a hubbub arose in his outer office. Usually quiet and well-ordered, its customary stillness was broken by a confused, expostulatory murmur of voices, above which rose a strident, angry bellow, like that of a maddened wild beast. Then a chair was violently overturned; the sudden sharp sound of a scuffle came to the detective’s listening ears; and the door was dashed open with a jar which made the massive inkstand upon the desk quiver.
Timothy Carlis stood upon the threshold––Timothy Carlis, his face empurpled, the great veins upon his low-slanting forehead standing out like whipcords, his huge, spatulate hands clenched, his narrow, slit eyes gleaming murderously.