"Totten, go bring the guard!" North's voice was balefully subdued.
Rellihan looked straight ahead and twirled his stick.
"I apologize for stretching my special exception a bit, and introducing these guests past the boys at the door," Stewart went on. "I'm breaking the rules of politeness--and the rules of everything else, I'm afraid. But all rules seem to be suspended to-night!"
"Totten!" the Governor roared, pounding his fist on the arm of his chair.
Morrison gave the policeman a side-glance as if to inform himself that all was right with Rellihan.
Then he pulled a handy chair to the table and motioned to Miss Bunker. She sat down and opened her note-book.
"I have come here on business, gentlemen, and you must allow me to follow some of my business methods. The heat of argument often causes men to forget what has been said. I'm willing to leave what I may say to the record, and, in view of the fact that all this is public business, I trust I'll have your co-operation along the same line. And there's a young lady present," he added. "That fact will help us to get along wonderfully well together."
"What's that devilish policeman doing at my door?" demanded the Governor, finding that his frantic gestures were not starting the adjutant-general on his way.
"Insuring complete privacy!" The mayor beamed on the Governor. "Nothing gets in--nothing gets out!"
North grabbed the telephone instrument on his desk.
One of Stewart's hands was covering the keys; with the fingers of the other hand he had been fumbling under the edge of the desk. He suddenly pulled wires from the confining staples; he yanked a big mill-knife from his trousers pocket and cut the wires. North flung a dead instrument clattering on the broad table and found only oaths fit to apply to this perfectly amazing effrontery.
"You need not take, Miss Bunker!" The quiet dignity of Morrison and the rebuke the Governor found in the girl's contemplative eyes choked off the profanity as effectively as would gripping fingers at his throat.
"I realize that all this is absolutely unprecedented--has never been done before--is unadulterated gall on my part, Governor North. Perhaps I haven't a leg to stand on."
"Morrison, this infernal nonsense must cease!"