Kate made no answer. She was studying the man's face, and there was a certain regret and even pity in the depths of her regard. Bill and Helen had no such feelings for him. They were frankly rejoiced at his failure.
Helen replied. "That's so, Mr. Fyles," she said, almost tartly, "but I guess that lever needs to help them into your traps to do any real good."
The officer's smile was quite good-humored, in spite of the sharpness of the girl's reminder. What he really felt he was not likely to display here.
"Sure," he said. "The spider weaves his web and it's not worth a cent if the flies aren't foolish enough to make mistakes. The spider is a student of winged insect nature, and he lays his plans accordingly. The flies always come to him--in the end."
"That's dandy," he cried. "There's always fool flies around. But sometimes that spider's web gets all mussed up and broken. I've broke 'em myself--rather than see the fool things caught."
Kate's eyes were turned on the great bulk of Charlie's brother. Even Helen looked up with bright admiration for her lover.
Fyles's gaze was leveled directly into the innocent looking blue eyes laughing into his.
"Yes, I dare say you and other folks have broken those things up, often--but the spiders thrive and multiply. You see, when one net is busted they--make another. They don't seem to starve ever, do they? Ever seen a spider dead of starvation?"
"Can't say I have." Bill shook his great head. "But maybe they'd get a bad time if they set their traps for any special flies--or fly."
Fyles raised his powerful shoulders coldly.
"Guess the spider business doesn't go far enough," he said, talking directly at Big Brother Bill. "When I spoke of that lever just now, maybe you didn't get my meaning quite clearly. That gang, who ran the liquor in last night, put themselves further up against the law than maybe they think. It was an armed attack on the police, which is quite a different thing to just simple whisky-running. Get me? The police are always glad when crooks do that. It pays them better--when the time comes."
Bill had no reply. He suddenly experienced the chill of the cold steel of police methods. A series of painful pictures rose up before his mind's eye, which held his tongue silent. Helen quickly came to his rescue.