The Saint Meets His Match (She was a Lady)

Gugliemi?'

'He's still downstairs, unless he's woken up and sloped off. I've had to keep one eye on the stairs all the time in case he tried to shove in his oar again, but there hasn't been a sound. As a matter of fact, he's probably still dreaming. When I hit him, I hit him hard. Since you're here, I think you'd better go down and see if there's any sign of him before we do anything else. You brought a gun, of course?'

Cullis tapped his pocket.

'I shouldn't have come without one,' he said and went down the stairs at once.

In the room below, which the chief commissioner had indicated, Cullis found the Italian sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. Certainly trie man was awake —Cullis heard him groan.

'Here, you!'

Cullis took him by the collar and yanked him to his feet, and Gugliemi turned a white scared face to his.

'Signor,' he wailed, 'it was an accident——'

'What was?' snarled Cullis. 'Your double-crossing me?'

'I do not understand——'

Cullis thrust the trembling man roughly into a chair.

'You know quite well what I mean,' he said, and the first brutal savagery of his voice had calmed down to something worse—quiet, frozen ferocity. 'Do you remem­ber the last time you saw me?'

'Yes, sair.'

'You were to find this girl Trelawney and get rid of her. That's what I promised you a hundred pounds and a clear way out of England for. I didn't tell you to turn round and join her gang—you rat!'

'I can explain, sair.'

'Can you?' said Cullis, and his pale eyes never left the Italian's face. 'I don't think you can explain in any way that will satisfy me. You're a traitor, and I have a way with traitors.'

'But, if you will listen, sair——'

'Be quiet!'

Cullis dropped the words like two flakes of red-hot metal. He had been jumpy enough earlier in the evening, but now he was master of himself, and there was no hu­manity in his face.

He pointed to the floor where Gugliemi's gun, with the magazine beside it, still lay.

'You see that?' said Cullis.

Gugliemi nodded dumbly.

'You were loading it when the commissioner came in. When I came in just now you had woken up and finished loading it, and you were waiting for me. I had to shoot you in self-defense. Do you understand? It will be quite simple for me to put the magazine in the gun and put the gun in your hand when you have finished with your treacherous life.'

His finger was tightening on the trigger even as he spoke. Gugliemi could see the whitening of the knuckle, and his eyes bulged wide with horror. Cullis saw the man's mouth open for a scream and grinned savagely.

But the shot he heard did not come from his own gun. It came muffled through the ceiling above him, and a second  report followed a moment later. Then the chief called, rather huskily:

'Cullis!'