“I’ve tried to do my small share,” he admitted.  “If you’re after local colour for your books, Aldous, I possibly may be able to assist you—­if you’re in town long.”

“Undoubtedly you could,” said Aldous.  “I think you could tell me a great deal that I would like to know, Rann.  But—­will you?”

There was a direct challenge in his coldly smiling eyes.

“Yes, I think I shall be quite pleased to do so,” said Rann.  “Especially—­if you are long in town.”  There was an odd emphasis on those last words.

He moved toward the door.

“And if you are here very long,” he added, his eyes gleaming significantly, “it is possible you may have experiences of your own which would make very interesting reading if they ever got into print.  Good-night, Aldous!”

For two or three minutes after Rann had gone Aldous loitered in the tobacco shop.  Then he went out.  All at once it struck him that he should have kept his eyes on Quade’s partner.  He should have followed him.  With the hope of seeing him again he walked up and down the street.  It was eleven o’clock when he went into Big Ben’s pool-room.  Five minutes later he came out just as a woman hurried past him, carrying with her a strong scent of perfume.  It was the Lady of the Bear.  She was in a street dress now, her glossy curls still falling loose about her—­probably homeward bound after her night’s harvest.  It struck Aldous that the hour was early for her retirement, and that she seemed somewhat in a hurry.

The woman was going in the direction of Rann’s big log bungalow, which was built well out of town toward the river.  She had not seen him as he stood in the pool-room doorway, and before she had passed out of sight he was following her.  There were a dozen branch trails and “streets” on the way to Rann’s, and into the gloom of some one of these the woman disappeared, so that Aldous lost her entirely.  He was not disappointed when he found she had left the main trail.

Five minutes later he stood close to Rann’s house.  From the side on which he had approached it was dark.  No gleam of light showed through the windows.  Slowly he walked around the building, and stopped suddenly on the opposite side.  Here a closely drawn curtain was illuminated by a glow from within.  Cautiously Aldous made his way along the log wall of the house until he came to the window.  At one side the curtain had caught against some object, leaving perhaps a quarter of an inch of space through which the light shone.  Aldous brought his eyes on a level with this space.

A half of the room came within his vision.  Directly in front of him, lighted by a curiously shaped iron lamp suspended from the ceiling, was a dull red mahogany desk-table.  At one side of this, partly facing him, was Culver Rann.  Opposite him sat Quade.