After all there was no sense in venting his anger on Hawksley. He was

hoist by his own petard. Why not admit the truth? He had had a crack

on the head the same night as Hawksley; only, he had been struck by an

idea, often more deadly than the butt of a pistol. He would apologize

for that roaring exit from the dining room. The poor friendless devil!

He bent toward the green stones again. In the living room Hawksley sat

in a chair, the fiddle across his knees. He understood now. The old

chap was in love with the girl, and was afraid of himself; couldn't

risk having her and letting her go.... A curse on the drums of jeopardy!

Misfortune followed their wake always. The world would have been

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different this hour if he--The break in the trend of thought was caused

by the entrance of Kuroki, who was followed by a man. This man dropped

into a chair without apparently noticing that the room was already

tenanted, for he never glanced toward Hawksley. A haggard face, dull

of eye. Kuroki bobbed and vanished, but returned shortly, beckoning the

stranger to follow him into the study.

"Coles?" cried Cutty delightedly. Here was the man he had sent to

negotiate for the emeralds, free. "How did you escape? We've combed the

town for you."

"They had me in a room on Fifteenth Street. Once in a while I got

something to eat. But I haven't escaped. I'm still a prisoner."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I am here as an emissary. There was nothing for me to do but accept the

job."

"Did he have the stones?" asked Cutty, without the least suspicion of

what was coming.

"That I don't know. He pretended to have them in order to get me where

he wanted me. I've been hungry a good deal because I wouldn't talk. I'm

here as a negotiator. A rotten business. I agreed because I've hopes

you'll be able to put one over on Karlov. It's the girl."

"Kitty?"

"Karlov has her. The girl wasn't to blame. Any one in the game would

have done as she did. Karlov is bugs on politics; but he's shrewd enough

at this sort of game. He trapped the girl because he'd studied her

enough to learn what she would or would not do. Now they are not going

to hurt her. They merely propose exchanging her for the man you've been

hiding up here. There's a taxi downstairs. It will carry me back to

Fifteenth; then it will return and wait. If the man is not at the

appointed place by midnight--he must go in this taxi--the girl will be

carried off elsewhere, and you'll never lay eyes on her again. Karlov

and his gang are potential assassins; all they want is excuse. Until

midnight they will not touch the girl; but after midnight, God knows!

What message am I to take back?"




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