"Help me! How?" I said, still gripping my man tightly. "What have you come for? What did you want?"
"We're under ordersso help me, we are!" he exclaimed huskily. "We had at any cost to see you."
"And for that you bribed my man, or tried to?"
"Yesto let us see you alone."
Albeury's arm, extended with the cocked revolver, was as rigid as a rock. The muzzle covered the man's chest. Again the man glanced swiftly at the detective, then went on, speaking quickly:
"If you'll let us go, we'll tell everythinganything you want to know!"
I glanced an inquiry at Albeury. Though his gaze was still set upon his man, he caught my look.
"Rightwe'll let you go," he said, without moving, "if you'll tell us everything. Now speak. Why are you here?"
"We're under orders," the man repeated. "We were not to leave this flat with him alive in it," he jerked his chin at me. "If we do we shall be killed ourselves when The Four Faces know. But you've done us. We've got to escape now somehow, if you'll let us, and our only way is to give you information that'll help you to get the whole gang arrested. You've discovered a code we use, and you've tampered with it, and that's what's done it."
"Done what?"