"I agree with Speedy," she said. "You'd better go."
"And quick!" roared Speedy, clenching his fists and showing signs of letting one of them fly.
Carter looked from one to the other, his suavity falling away and a cloud of dark hostility covering his face. His black eyes narrowed. He backed away toward the door.
"All right, I'm going," he snapped. "But both of you will regret this to your dying days. If you think I'm through yet, you're very much mistaken. In fact, you're going to have a big surprise before you're an hour older!"
As the door shut behind him, Speedy and Jane looked at each other in some apprehension. Big as had been Speedy's words and brave as had been Jane's support of them, Carter's vehemently uttered threat had its effect. He was quite evidently a dangerous man who would stop at nothing. From now on, he had indicated, all scruples were off and it was open warfare.
"I wonder what he meant by a 'big surprise before you're an hour older'?" Jane asked anxiously.
"Probably just a big bluff," answered Speedy, but not with any strong conviction.
"He's a bad man," said Jane. "Oh, I wish I had never seen or talked to him. And what a fool I was to let him send grandfather away! Something must have happened to him. Oh, Speedy, what shall we do?"
She looked ready to cry. Speedy patted her shoulder.
