“Ten thousand dollars isn’t much in the way of anxiety,” Cabot said.  “I’d call that a nominal bid, to avoid suspicion.”

“The dope’s changed a little on that.”  Rand brought him up to date.  “Rivers’s offer is now twenty-five thousand.”

There was a stunned hush, followed by a gust of exclamations.

“Guid Lorrd!” The Scots accent fairly curdled on Colin MacBride’s tongue.  “We canna go over that!”

“I’m afraid not; twenty would be about our limit,” Gresham agreed.  “And with the best items gone ...”  He shrugged.

Pierre and Karen were looking at each other in blank misery; their dream of establishing themselves in the arms business had blown up in their faces.

“Oh, he’s talking through his hat!” Cabot declared.  “He just hopes we’ll lose interest, and then he’ll buy what’s left of the collection for a song.”

“Maybe he knows the collection’s been robbed,” Trehearne suggested.  “That would let him out, later.  He’d accuse you or the Fleming estate of holding out the best pieces, and then offer to take what’s left for about five thousand.”

“Well, that would be presuming that he knows the collection has been robbed,” Cabot pointed out.  “And the only way he’d know that would be if he, himself, had bought the stolen pistols.”

“Well, does anybody need a chaser to swallow that?” Trehearne countered.  “I’m bloody sure I don’t.”

Karen Lawrence shook her head.  “No, he’d pay twenty-five thousand for the collection, just as it stands, to keep Pierre and me out of the arms business.  This end of the state couldn’t support another arms-dealer, and with the reputation he’s made for himself, he’d be the one to go under.”  She stubbed out her cigarette and finished her drink.  “If you don’t mind, Pierre, I think I’ll go home.”

“I’m not feeling very festive, myself, right now.”  The ex-Marine rose and held out his hand to Rand.  “Don’t get the idea, Jeff, that anybody here holds this against you.  You have your clients’ interests to look out for.”

“Well, if this be treason make the most of it,” Rand said, “but I hope Rivers doesn’t go through with it.  I’d like to see you people get the collection, and I’d hate to see a lot of nice pistols like that get into the hands of a damned swindler like Rivers....  Maybe I can catch him with the hot-goods on him, and send him up for about three-to-five.”

“Oh, he’s too smart for that,” Karen despaired.  “He can get away with faking, but the dumbest jury in the world would know what receiving stolen goods was, and he knows it.”

Dorothy and Irene Gresham accompanied Pierre and Karen downstairs.  After they had gone, Gresham tried, not very successfully, to inject more life into the party with another round of drinks.  For a while they discussed the personal and commercial iniquities of Arnold Rivers.  Trehearne and MacBride, who had come together in the latter’s car, left shortly, and half an hour later, Philip Cabot rose and announced that he, too, was leaving.