"Oh yes--I see it clearly; but I don't believe you could do what I could in your place?"
"Nobody is free from vanity, for everybody seems to be a natural monopolist when it comes to brains. You are kidnapped at this very moment, aren't you?"
"Oh yes! We expect to have you telephone McWayne presently not to expect you to lunch, and that we have extended every facility to his detectives for having this house under surveillance. We kidnapped the great Garrettson and kept him out of reach of the great world of finance long enough to enable us to cash in. Not only that, but he never told how we did it. You remember when Steel broke to--"
"You didn't do that!" exclaimed E. H. Merri-wether.
"Oh yes, we did; and I'll tell you how." And the man briefly outlined the case for him.
E. H. Merriwether listened with much interest. When the man made an end of speaking, the financier shook his head skeptically, which made the man ask: "You don't believe it?"
"Nevertheless, it is so. We also might have engineered in your case some deal such as that by which we compelled Ashton Welles to disgorge some of the money he had no business to have." And he proceeded to enlighten the financier.
"Rather neat!" modestly acquiesced the man. "Suppose we had decided to kidnap you? The first thing to do is to get you here. Well, you are here."
"How will you make money by that?" asked the financier, smiling.
"We don't expect to. We have not planned to make money by kidnapping you. Nevertheless, you must admit it can be made a very expensive matter for you. But please let me kidnap you without interruption!"
"I beg your pardon!" said Mr. Merriwether, gravely.
It struck him that the possession of a sense of humor makes a crook ten times more dangerous. It was what made the reporter, Tully, really formidable.
"We assume that you foresaw the danger to yourself in coming alone to this house. You'd employ private detectives to watch it at ten dollars a day a man, exactly as you have had your son watched the moment we decided it was time for you to begin the watching. McWayne, your efficient private secretary, is ready to move to your rescue. I don't see what else you could have done to protect yourself that we have not provided for."