Labar held his hand in front of him. The blood had soaked through and stained his fingers. “I’m⁠—a⁠—little⁠—dizzy,” he ejaculated faintly. “Got it worse than I thought.”

Larry lifted an inquiring eyebrow at Mrs. Gertstein. “I⁠—I hurt him,” she said, and her eyes rested on the bloodstained dagger which Labar had placed on the mantel. The crook nodded comprehendingly and advanced towards the detective.

“Let’s see what we can do,” he said.

For the first time during the interview he was off his guard. In that instant the detective acted.

He had followed Moreland’s advice and a pistol reposed in his coat pocket. As he pulled it, a little clumsily maybe, Larry levelled his own weapon. The reports followed hard upon each other and Mrs. Gertstein’s scream rang through the house.