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"it is the completeness of it; nothing left; not even ruins."

Cawder sat back, interposing nothing more; and Bane became silent. Perfectly evident again was a difference between them; momentarily, indeed it had developed to open opposition.

"This is enough for tonight," said Cawder, dismissing us and he lifted himself on his hands as he had done when we had entered. It was his substitute for rising.

Helen Lacey noticed this and, as she had swiftly seated herself to let him relax, now she arose and followed Bane. I went with them toward the panel door which had opened. That is, I thought it was the door, the same which had admitted us, until in the passage I discovered that we were led in another direction. We came, in fact, not to the outer office of the deserted desks but to a small inner room, windowless like Cawder's office and undoubtedly created from space stolen from the offices which opened, honestly, on the hallways. It was furnished with a couch, table and chairs—a cubby for temporary detention, obviously.