startled movement or angry exclamation had not Dunn's heavy hand
upon his shoulder held him down with a grave and steady pressure
there was no disregarding.

Deede Dawson and his unknown companion went on towards the house,
and admitted themselves, and as the door closed behind them Clive
swung round sharply in the darkness towards Dunn.

"What's it mean?" he muttered in the bewildered and
slightly-pathetic voice of a child at once frightened and puzzled.
"What for? Why should any one--?"

"It's a long story," began Dunn, and paused.

He saw that the unexpected confirmation of his warning Clive had
thus received from Deede Dawson's own lips had rendered his task
of convincing Clive immensely more easy.

What he had wished to say had now at least a certainty of being
listened to, a probability of being believed, and there was at
any rate, he supposed, no longer the danger he had before dreaded
of Clive's going straight with the whole story to Deede Dawson
in arrogant disbelief of a word of it.

But he still distrusted Clive's discretion, and feared some rash
and hasty action that might ruin all his plans, and allow Deede
Dawson time to escape.

Besides he felt that the immediate task before him was to find
out who Deede Dawson's new companion was, and, if possible,