In the encounter, owing to his exhausted condition, Lester lost consciousness; and thus they left him, making him their prisoner by turning the key in the lock again when they reached the outer room.

“And now,” said Halloran, removing the square of black linen from his face, “what’s next on the programme?”

“Our friend, the cabby, will take me back to town with as much speed as possible.  You, my dear fellow, will remain here on guard, making yourself as comfortable as is absolutely possible under the dismal circumstances of keeping guard and circumventing any attempt of our prisoner to escape.  You know we have great need of him yet, in forcing him to disclose much that is advantageous to us.  We can starve it out of him, if threats fail.  As long as you have a good warm fire, plenty of provisions and plenty to read here you ought not to complain.  You are having the easiest part of the bargain, Halloran, while I am doing all of the hazardous work.”

“What if I should be suspected in the role I am about to play for the Marsh millions?  Why, it would mean State’s prison instead of the fortune we have planned for so desperately.”

“You will carry it through all right,” declared Halloran, confidently.

“My nerve has never failed me so far, and I’m depending on that,” said Kendale, mechanically.

Two hours later Kendale was breakfasting in a fashionable downtown restaurant, endeavoring to fortify himself with courage for the trying ordeal which he was about to face.

He had given Halloran his promise to abstain from touching even a drop of liquor, fully realizing it to be his mortal foe; but with Kendale a promise amounted to scarcely a flip of his white fingers when it ran contrary to his own desires.

He told himself that he must have a “bracer” to steady his nerves.  It was not until a second and a third had been drunk that the proper amount of courage came to him to undertake the dastardly scheme.  Half an hour later he walked boldly into the big dry goods emporium.  He had no idea where the private office was, but his quick wits served him in this dilemma.  Laying his hands on an errand boy who was just passing out, whose cap bore the name of Marsh & Co., he said, carelessly: 

“Here, lad, take my coat up to the private office; I will follow you.  Go slowly, though, through the crowd of shoppers.”

With a respectful bow the boy took the coat from him.

It so happened that one of the rules of the house was that the employees must not use the elevators, and by the time Kendale had climbed the fourth flight of stairs he was thoroughly exhausted, the perspiration fairly streaming down his face.

“Don’t you know enough to go by way of the elevator, you young idiot?” he roared, almost gasping for breath.

“You forget it’s against the rules for us to do so, Mr. Armstrong,” returned the lad.

“Rules be hanged!” cried his companion.  “How many more floors up is it?”