Collins and Van both arose eagerly at this.  
The detective’s blood surged hotly through his veins.
 
“The unconscionable scoundrels!” he muttered under his breath. “They are human fiends.”
 
And in that moment the old detective rejoiced that their would-be victim was beyond their reach.
 
But he was conscious of his own perilous position.
 
If the trio of villains went to Evelyn’s prison cell to commit the contemplated horrible crime of murder, her escape would be discovered.
 
But the old detective was only temporarily alarmed.
 
He reckoned that it would be very soon time for Harry to return from Paine’s with assistance.
 
Certainly escape would be a difficult matter for the villains.
 
The snow was too deep to admit of their making very rapid progress if they attempted to leave the asylum.
 
The trio of villains had arisen for the purpose of paying a murderous visit to the prison cell of the young girl.
 
But at that moment Scraggs interposed.
 
“Hold on!” he growled. “What are ye going to do?”
 
Burke turned and stared at him.
 
“You heard the agreement.”
 
“Well, you can’t kill the girl in this house. I object to that!”
 
“Thunder!” ejaculated Burke. “What has come over you?”
 
“That’s what has come over me,” said Dr. Scraggs, coolly.
 
“You are blocking our plans.”
 
“I don’t care if I am. This is my house and I am boss here!”
 
There was an ominous silence.
 
The trio looked ugly and Collins glared at the asylum keeper.
 
“You’re a cursed traitor!”
 
“No, I am not!”
 
“Then what’s the matter with ye?”
 
“I’m not going to have any murder in my house, that’s all! I don’t care a picayune what you do with the girl, but you can’t kill her here. Do you see?”
 
“Humph!” exclaimed Burke. “You’re mighty particular. It’s an easy job. There’ll be no blood stains. We’ll just shut her windpipe and she can be carried out for a dead patient. See?”
 
But Scraggs was obdurate.
 
“I don’t care!” he said. “It’s not going to be done here. That ends it.”
 
All this while Blood had been silent. Now he said:
 
“Well, I don’t blame Scraggs for that, boys. This asylum is his way of making a living. If any scandal arose out of this place it would put him out of business.”
 
“That’s it,” agreed Scraggs. “Them’s my reasons an’ nothin’ more nor less.”
 
“Well,” said Burke, in a mollified way, “if that’s the way of it perhaps you’re right.”
 
“We can fix that!” said Collins.
 
“How?”
 
“To-morrow we’ll take her away in a sleigh. A few miles from here is the Assabet river. We can dump her in under the ice and if she’s ever found it won’t be until Spring, anyway.”
 
“Good!” cried Blood. “That is the best way to work it. No need of having any hard feelings.”
 
“I haven’t any feelings about it,” said Burke. “So we’ll put it off until morning. One more drink, gents.”
 
Brandy was decanted and the party drank freely.
 
All this while Old King Brady had listened with deep interest.
 
23
Now that the fate of Evelyn Grimm had been settled, other matters came in for discussion.
 
Burke laughed uproariously.
 
“Haw! Haw!” he guffawed. “Every detective in this country thinks the girl was burned up in Fifteenth street.”
 
“Everybody else does, for that matter,” said Blood.
 
“We led ’em astray easy enough. The poor woman who was burned up there though——”
 
“Sh!” exclaimed Van, with a frightful contortion of the face. “Let thet rest.”
 
“Oh, it’s a tender subject with you, Old Bluebeard. How many more wives have you burned up ther same way?”
 
“Curse you, shut up!” growled Van, savagely. “I had to shut her mouth. She was false and would have betrayed the whole gang of us sooner or later.”
 
“Never mind that,” said Scraggs, “I am interested in those accursed detectives. You say a couple of them chased you as far as Lexington?”
 
“Yes,” agreed Burke.
 
“Do you know who they were?”
 
“I do!” said Van. “For I’m the man they chased. Curse ’em! They are the Bradys of New York!”
 
“They are on our list,” said Collins. “We’ll trap them.”
 
“They must die!”
 
“Well,” growled Scraggs, “I don’t want them to get their eyes on my place here. I’ve too much at stake. See?”
 
“Ain’t you with us?”
 
“Of course!”
 
“Then you’ve got to take chances.”
 
“But there’s no need of being so reckless.”
 
“Oh, don’t fret, we can handle the Bradys all right! Hello! What the deuce is that?”
 
A wild, animal-like cry came down the stairs.
 
Old King............