It was the voice of Tom the valet speaking from behind the leading man that answered. “There are three of us, Mr. Labar. We can’t go back. The police are outside and they would shoot us down as we went out. We daren’t go back.”

With a little disappointment Labar recognised that Larry was not there. The three would be Tom, and his companion, and the man he had shot. He had, too, an idea of the dilemma in which they were placed. Clearly there had been some sort of an encounter with the police outside, and excited men were not likely to be too nice if a head showed itself outside the tunnel. He had no wish to cause needless bloodshed.

“We’ll give you three minutes,” he said. “They’ll have cooled down a little by then.” He pushed his way nearer to them along the corridor.

“We’ve a wounded man here,” protested the first figure. “It will be murder if you turn us out.”

“We’ll risk it,” said Labar.