He saw her knock at a door and knew it was Bassett's room--a room that for years had been set apart for the private councils of the senator from Fraser.

As Sylvia knocked, several men came out, as though the interruption had terminated an interview.

The unveiled face of the tall, dark girl called for a second glance; it was an odd place for a pretty young woman to be seeking Morton Bassett.

They looked at each other and grinned.
A single lamp on a table in the middle of the high-ceilinged room shed a narrow circle of light that deepened the shadows of the walls.

Bassett, standing by a window, was aware of a lighter step than was usual in this plotting chamber.