unpleasant affair.... Vastly!"

He was still caressing the fire with his regard when Miss Erith came
back.

She wore a fur coat buttoned to the throat, a fur toque, fur gloves.
As he rose she naively displayed a jimmy and two flashlights.

"I see," he said, "very nice, very handy! But we don't need these to
convict us."

She laughed and handed him the instruments; and he pocketed them and
followed her downstairs.

Her car was waiting, engine running; she spoke to the Kadiak
chauffeur, got in, and Vaux followed.

"You know," he said, pulling the mink robe over her and himself,
"you're behaving very badly to your superior officer."

"I'm so excited, so interested! I hope I'm not lacking in deference
to my honoured Chief of Division. Am I, Mr. Vaux?"

"You certainly hustle me around some! This is a crazy thing we're
doing."

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"You're an autocrat. You're a lady-Nero! Tell me, Miss Erith, were
you ever afraid of anything on earth?"