“Baker’s dock,” Eva read, as he handed her the paper, “until five o’clock.”

Flint bowed decently enough to her, glanced upward, and, as he thought of Eva’s father lying stricken with the Madagascar madness in the room above, an evil leer came over his fox-like face.  As he left he completely ignored both Locke and Balcom, unless it was that the look in his eyes meant a sort of sinister triumph.

Locke followed him out of the library, and for a few moments Eva and Balcom were alone.

Balcom had been quick to realize that it would not further his plans if he continued to antagonize this high-spirited girl.  He took another course.  The kind and fatherly manner which he could assume so readily was now apparent.

“Eva, my dear child,” he ingratiated, “I am really sorry for the hasty way in which I spoke, but, aside from our duty to International Patents, your marriage to my son has been my greatest hope and ambition.”

“I can’t see why you should wish a daughter-in-law of whose actions you disapprove,” retorted Eva, pointedly.

It was a facer for Balcom and he quickly guided the conversation into less dangerous channels.

Eva’s candid nature could not comprehend treachery of any kind in others, and yet, although she was unable to put a name to it, she had a vague feeling of insecurity in dealing with her father’s partner.  This feeling had been heightened by Balcom’s actions.  In speaking of the proposed marriage to Paul he had come quite close to her.  She shuddered, for, out of the corner of her eye, only a few moments before, she remembered him in the same position when Flint had handed her the address, and she knew that Balcom had surreptitiously read it.  Why had he taken that underhand method when, if he had only asked frankly to see the paper, she would have handed it to him without hesitation or suspicion.

Eva started to leave the library, but Balcom stopped her with a gesture.  “My dear,” he said, “your father is stricken with a deadly malady.  His affairs are in your hands to protect his interests.  I must urge that you marry Paul at the earliest possible moment.”

Eva scarcely knew what to say.  “I can’t,” she blurted out, then tried to cover her confusion and made it worse, “only—­as a last resort—­to save my father—­Oh—­good-by!” And she almost ran from the room.

CHAPTER IX

Meanwhile, as Flint left Brent Rock, his fear of the Automaton returned to him with redoubled force.  He had been false to his mission.  Nor had he even succeeded in his treachery.  A few minutes he had been certain that Eva would come to Baker’s dock at the time set, but now doubts began to assail him.  With her obvious faith in Locke, she might decide on the chemist’s antidote, and there was always a possibility that it might restore Brent, in which case Flint realized that his life would be forfeit to the Automaton.