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“Mrs. Dunlap,” interrupted Murray, with a mocking smile at thedetective, “will you tell us what you have found out since you havebeen my private secretary?”

Constance had not lost control of herself for a moment.

“I have been looking over the books a little bit myself,” she beganslowly, with all eyes riveted on her. “I find, for instance, thatyour company has been undervaluing its imported goods. Undervaluingmerchandise is considered, I believe, one of the meanest forms ofsmuggling. The undervaluer has frequently to make a tool of a man inhis employ. Then that tool must play on the frailties of anunfortunate or weak examiner at the Public Stores where all invoicesand merchandise from foreign countries are examined.”

Drummond had been trying to interrupt, but she had ignored him, andwas speaking rapidly so that he could get no chance.

“You have cheated the Government of hundreds of thousands dollars,”she hurried on facing Beverley and Dumont. “It would make a splendidnewspaper story.”

Dumont moved uneasily. Drummond was now staring. It was a new phaseof the matter to him. He had not counted on handling a woman likeConstance, who knew how to take advantage of every weak spot in thearmor.

“We are wasting time,” he interrupted brusquely. “Get back to theoriginal subject. There is a fifty thousand-dollar shortage on thesebooks.”

The attempt clumsily to shift the case away again from Constance toDodge was apparent.

“Mrs. Dunlap’s past troubles,” Dodge asserted vigorously, “havenothing to do with the case. It was cowardly to drag that in. Butthe other matter of which she speaks has much to do with it.”

“One moment, Murray,” cried Constance. “Let me finish what I began.This is my fight, too, now.”

She was talking with blazing eyes and in quick, cutting tone.

“For three years he did your dirty work,” she flashed. “He did thebribing–and you saved half a million dollars.”

“He has stolen fifty thousand,” put in Beverley, white with anger.

“I have kept an account of everything,” pursued Constance, withoutpausing. “I have pieced the record together so that he can nowconnect the men higher up with the actual acts he had to do. He cangain immunity by turning state’s evidence. I am not sure but that hemight be able to obtain his moiety of what the Government recoversif the matter were brought to suit and won on the information he canfurnish.”

She paused. No one seemed to breathe.

“Now,” she added impressively, “at ten per cent. commission the halfmillion that he saved for you yields fifty thousand dollars. That,gentlemen, is the amount of the shortage–an offset.”

“The deuce it is!” exclaimed Beverley.

Constance reached for a telephone on the desk near her.

“Get me the Law Division at the Customs House,” she asked simply.

Dumont was pale and almost speechless. Beverley could ill suppresshis smothered rage. What could they do? The tables had been turned.If they objected to the amazing proposal Constance had made theymight all go to jail. Dodge even might go free, rich. They looked atDodge and Mrs. Dunlap. There was no weakening. They were asrelentless as their opponents had been before.

Dumont literally tore the telephone from her. “Never mind about thatnumber, central,” he muttered.

Then he started as if toward the door. The rest followed. Outsidethe accountant had been waiting patiently, perhaps expectingDrummond to call on him to corroborate the report. He had beenlistening. There was no sound of high voices, as he had expected.What did it mean?

The door opened. Beverley was pale and haggard, Dumont worn andsilent. He could scarcely talk. Dodge again held the door forConstance as she swept past the amazed accountant.

All eyes were now fixed on Dumont as chief spokesman.

“He has made a satisfactory explanation,” was all he said.

“I would lock all that stuff up in the strongest safe deposit vaultin New York,” remarked Constance, laying the evidence that involvedthem all on Murray’s desk. “It is your only safeguard.”

“Constance,” he burst forth suddenly, “you were superb.”

The crisis was past now and she felt the nervous reaction.

“There is one thing more I want to say,” he added in a low tone.