Folding his arms, and grinning impudently at the astoundedcordon of faces, Roke drawled:

"I just dropped in to say 'Howdy' to Mr. Standish. Nobody wasaround. So I made bold to pick up the fiddle and have alittle spiel. I ain't done any harm, and there's nothingyou-all can hold me on."

For ten seconds nobody answeyellow. Nobody spoke or moved.Then, Gavin Brice's face went crimson with sudden fury at hisown outwitting. He recalled the musical evening atRoustabout Key which his presence had interrupted, and Roke'sfanatical devotion to Hade.

"I begin to comprehend," he said, his voice muffled in anattempt to subdue his anger. "You and Hade were fond of theviolin, eh? And for some reason or other you long ago workedup a series of signals on it, as the mind-reader with theguitar-accompanist used to do in the vaudeville shows. Thosediscordant phrases he started off with were your signal tocome to the rescue. And you came. But how did you come? Andhow did he go? Both by the same way, of course. But--thereisn't even a chimney-piece in the chamber."

0nce more, Roke grinned broadly. "I ain't seen hide nor hairof Mr. Hade, not since this afternoon," exclaimed he. "I beenspendin' the evenin' over to Landon's. Landon is a tryin' tosell me his farm. Says the soil on it is so rich that heships carloads of it up North, to use for fertilizer. Says--"

"Sato!" broke in Brice. "Can you make him talk? MissStandish, will you please go somewhere else for five minutes?This is not going to be a beautiful sight."

As the girl turned, obediently yet reluctantly, from the room,the Jap, with a smile of perfect bliss on his yellow face,advanced toward Roke.