Reluctantly and with many a backward look, we retired from that glimmering vault of wealth, and climbed to the atrium. We were all soaked to the waist and suddenly conscious of the fatigue of the last two crowded days. Personally, I felt that I had reached the limit. I didn't care what happened. I thought that we were in a hopeless fix. Vernon King was equally morose. Betty was ready to weep. Nikka was sardonically amused at our ill-luck. Kara was indifferent, so long as Nikka refused to embark upon a scheme of wholesale murder in order to impound the treasure for themselves alone. Watty was tiredly hopeless. Only Hugh squared his jaw and said nothing.  
"I'll have the precious pair fetched in if you like," volunteered Nikka as we sat about the room. "But I don't see the use. I've talked to them, and I can assure you they aren't in a mood to be agreeable. Mrs. Hilyer is consumed with revenge. She isn't thinking of anything else. She just wants to get back at us. Mahkouf is politely threatening. He figures that he has us on the hip because of the killings last night,—murder of His Imperial Majesty's subjects and all that. He talked about international complications, and lawlessness."
 
"Could we, perhaps, detain them sufficiently long to permit us to get away?" inquired my uncle.
 
"With the treasure? Hardly! I say, do you realize the sheer physical job in removing that stuff? Why, there must be tons of it! It would have to be boxed and crated. And where would you take it to? How would you take it anywhere? To arrange for its removal would require—oh, I'd hate to say how long! In the meantime, we might hold Mrs. Hilyer without causing any comment, but Mahkouf is a well-known person. He isn't called 'The Grand Vizier's Jackal' for nothing."
 
Wasso Mikali appeared in the doorway at the foot of the stairs that led up to the large chamber on the courtyard level. His face was grim and the tone in which he addressed Nikka so savage as to attract the attention of all of us. Kara eyed him with approval, and ventured a confirmatory nod.
 
"He says," Nikka translated, "that the only thing for us to do is to kill Tokalji and the rest of the prisoners, stow their bodies in the drain that I have told him about, and then deny to Mahkouf that there ever was a fight or that there is any treasure here. He insists it was a great mistake for us to take any prisoners, but that we can yet remedy it in time."
 
"He's dead wrong," said Hugh abruptly. "I think I can use Tokalji to work out of this mess."
 
"How?" asked Nikka.
 
"By making it worth his while. He'd do anything for money, wouldn't he?"
 
"Yes."
 
"Well, we have the money in limitless quantities. I want to say a word to you lads and Professor King that has been on my chest ever since I saw that treasure-vault. I never thought of this before, because I didn't take the story any too seriously, as I've already said. But now it's beyond cavil. My point is this: there's too much wealth down there for any one man. Professor King says there may be $125,000,000. Nobody needs that much just to lead his own life in affluence.
 
"I'm going to divide it equally between you, Nikka, Jack, Professor King, Watty and myself, subject to whatever disbursements Nikka thinks Wasso Mikali should have and a price necessary to attach Tokalji's allegiance to us."
 
"Your idea of purchasing Tokalji's aid, supposing he can aid us, is a good one," said my uncle. "But I have more money now than I can use. I must absolutely refuse your offer so far as it concerns myself, Hugh."
 
"Me, too, your ludship," spoke up Watkins. "What would I do with millions of pounds? All the other servants would be jealous of me, and the newspaper gentlemen would be 'aving their fun with me every day most like. No, no, sir. I'm an old man, and with all due respect, I'm sure I'd much rather stay on with you at Chesby, your ludship, and valet you properly. It ain't so easy to find a good valet nowadays, sir. Really, sir, I'd rather not."
 
"Well," said Hugh, "we won't fight about that, Watty. If you stay with me you— Why, hang it all, you're one of the best friends I've got! You must stay. But I'm going to insist on splitting with Jack and Nikka. Then Jack can build houses to suit himself, and Nikka can play his fiddle to poor boys and girls."
 
"I knew you'd make an offer like that, Hugh," said Nikka simply. "It's like you. And don't you worry about Wasso Mikali. I'll take care of him and his tribe with my share. It wouldn't do them any good to make them grossly rich. They'd leave their old ways of life, contract tuberculosis or dissipate themselves to death. Let them be. They live an idyllic life, a life good enough for me, anyway.
 
"But I'm not going to protest against the corruption of Tokalji, if you believe you can make anything out of it. What is your idea?"
 
"Have him in," answered Hugh. "I'll show you."
 
Wasso Mikali brought in the brigand chief, his broken arm in a sling, a sour glint of hatred in his eye.
 
"Now," said Hugh, "ask him, Nikka, if he'd like to be so rich he wouldn't need to steal again, except to indulge his sportin' tastes?"
 
Tokalji evidently considered he was being spoofed, and he drew himself haughtily erect.
 
"He says any man would answer that one way," replied Nikka. "But that you seek to annoy him."
 
"Tell him," returned Hugh, "that I'll give him £100,000 Turkish if he'll come over to our side, and back us up against Mahkouf Pasha. Explain to him about Mahkouf Pasha."
 
The change in Tokalji's manner was ridiculous.
 
"He says," translated Nikka, "that he will kill the Sultan for you for £100,000 Turkish. But he wants to see the money.'
 
"Watty," said Hugh, "go down into the sewer-treasury and collect a sack of jewels—anything will do. Tell Tokalji I'm sending for an earnest of our good-faith, Nikka."
 
Avarice glowed in the brigand's face. Wasso Mikali looked disgusted. He nursed some secret grudge of his own against Tokalji, and had wanted to cut his throat from the minute he discovered the scoundrel was our prisoner. But Hugh's hunch was a good one. None could doubt that as Tokalji gradually thawed under the influence of his stimulated acquisitive instincts.
 
And when Watty tramped in fifteen minutes afterward and plumped a bulging sack into the old thief's lap a miracle was wrought. Sweat beaded on his forehead; his hands clawed the lovely stones; his eyes shone; he cackled to himself and crooned like a mother over her baby.
 
"Tell him they are his, and that we will add gold to them, if he plays fair with us," continued Hugh when he judged he had made his effect. "But he will have to remain our prisoner until we leave.'
 
"He awaits your orders," Nikka translated the reply, as Tokalji regretfully tore his attention from the treasure on his knees. "Wait a minute." This last as Tokalji burst into a tumult of excited speech. "He says for you not to worry about Mahkouf Pasha. He knows all about the Pasha. He, the Pasha, has been smuggling arms from Roumania to Kemal Pasha at Angora, and Tokalji has played a part in the business."
 
Hugh just grinned, and the rest of us grinned back at him.
 
"We are indeed fortunate," remarked King.
 
"Fortunate your eye!" returned Hugh with jubilant disrespect. "I knew such precious scoundrels would sell each other out. Now, Nikka, you tell Tokalji he is to inform Mahkouf Pasha that he regards us as his friends, inasmuch as we relieved him last night from the oppression of a band of thieves. And we'll have Mahkouf in here, and give him an earful. I suppose we'll have to drag in that poor Hilyer woman, too. I hate that. But she'll have to be made to understand her position."
 
The interview that followed was absurd and sordid. Mahkouf Pasha, after an attempt at hectoring defiance, collapsed completely and begged to be let alone. Nikka, who handled him, squelched him to putty, and told Wasso Mikali to see him to the street.
 
"And remember," Nikka concluded, "if you dare to breathe a word against us, you Levantine dog, we will show you up for what you are to the Allied High Commissioners, to your master the Grand Vizier and to the Nationalists at Angora. You have played all three of these, one against the others, and all three will be glad to hang you. Go, before I kick you!"
 
Wasso Mikali positively chuckled as he jerked the ashen-faced mongrel to his feet and steered him up the stairs.
 
Maude Hilyer was not so easy. She began by a wailing tirade that degenerated into a filthy harangue. I learned afterwards that she had risen in life from a position which had made her engagement for the Gayety Theater chorus an epochal event for her. We sent Betty from the room, and Hugh gently quieted her.
 
"See here, Mrs. Hilyer," he said. "We don't enjoy this any more than you do. For what happened to your husband— Perhaps anything I say will be in bad taste. But the fact remains that we had nothing against him. It was he who went after us. And I notice that although that demon Lafitte tortured and attempted to abuse several of us, including a woman, you never raised your hand to restrain him.
 
"But I'm not appealing to you on grounds of decency, but of self-interest. If nothing comes out about Hilyer's end, you can go home and hold up your head. On the other hand, if you want to air what happened, I shall see to it that the whole story of my uncle's death becomes known. Do you think that then you will be received anywhere at home? I leave it to you."
 
The queer social vanity that was the main-spring of the woman's life responded to this argument. She dried her tears and restrained her tongue; and for a moment I felt sorry for her. But she showed her character at the last, even as she rose to go.
 
"It's all very well what you say, Lord Chesby," she whimpered. "But what am I going to do now? Hilyer's dead, Little Depping is loaded with mortgages. His cousin George will inherit what's left of it, anyway. And I—"
 
She hesitated artist............