He dimly remembered his promise to Ethel, but his lids drooped with sheer weariness.  Perhaps an hour passed in this way, when suddenly his blood congealed with dread.

He felt the presence of the hand of Reginald Clarke—­unmistakably—­groping in his brain as if searching for something that had still escaped him.

He tried to move, to cry out, but his limbs were paralysed.  When, by a superhuman effort, he at last succeeded in shaking off the numbness that held him enchained, he awoke just in time to see a figure, that of a man, disappearing in the wall that separated Reginald’s apartments from his room....

This time it was no delusion of the senses.  He heard something like a secret door softly closing behind retreating steps.  A sudden fierce anger seized him.  He was oblivious of the danger of the terrible power of the older man, oblivious of the love he had once borne him, oblivious of everything save the sense of outraged humanity and outraged right.

The law permits us to shoot a burglar who goes through our pockets at night.  Must he tolerate the ravages of this a thousand times more dastardly and dangerous spiritual thief?  Was Reginald to enjoy the fruit of other men’s labour unpunished?  Was he to continue growing into the mightiest literary factor of the century by preying upon his betters?  Abel, Walkham, Ethel, he, Jack, were they all to be victims of this insatiable monster?

Was this force resistless as it was relentless?

No, a thousand times, no!

He dashed himself against the wall at the place where the shadow of Reginald Clarke had disappeared.  In doing so he touched upon a secret spring.  The wall gave way noiselessly.  Speechless with rage he crossed the next room and the one adjoining it, and stood in Reginald’s studio.  The room was brilliantly lighted, and Reginald, still dressed, was seated at his writing-table scribbling notes upon little scraps of paper in his accustomed manner.

At Ernest’s approach he looked up without evincing the least sign of terror or surprise.  Calmly, almost majestically, he folded his arms over his breast, but there was a menacing glitter in his eyes as he confronted his victim.

XXX

Silently the two men faced each other.  Then Ernest hissed: 

“Thief!”

Reginald shrugged his shoulders.

“Vampire!”

“So Ethel has infected you with her absurd fancies!  Poor boy!  I am afraid....  I have been wanting to tell you for some time....  But I think...  We have reached the parting of our road!”

“And that you dare to tell me!”

The more he raged, the calmer Reginald seemed to become.

“Really,” he said, “I fail to understand....  I must ask you to leave my room!”

“You fail to understand?  You cad!” Ernest cried.  He stepped to the writing-table and opened the secret drawer with a blow.  A bundle of manuscripts fell on the floor with a strange rustling noise.  Then, seizing his own story, he hurled it upon the table.  And behold—­the last pages bore corrections in ink that could have been made only a few minutes ago!