"You would be the only one to own that knowledge. But you won't kill me."

"Because your conscience is already too heavily laden to bear the burden of another unprovoked crime"

Brotherson, starting back, glared with open ferocity upon the man who dared to face him with such an accusation.

"God! why didn't I shoot you on entrance!" he cried. "Your courage is certainly colossal."

A fine smile, without even the hint of humour now, touched the daring detective's lip. Brotherson's anger seemed to grow under it, and he loudly repeated:

"It's more than colossal; it's abnormal and -" A moment's pause, then with ironic pauses -" and quite unnecessary save as a matter of display, unless you think you need it to sustain you through the ordeal you are courting. You wish to help me finish and prepare for flight?"

"You consider yourself competent?"

Brotherson's eyes fell and he walked once to the extremity of the oval flooring and back.