ed by the police, and his interview with
Graham and subsequent adventures. By degrees, her understanding
changed to horror, and when he stopped he saw that she had got a cruel
shock. Her face was white, her gaze was fixed, and, her eyes were
unusually wide open. Still he thought it was through her pride she
suffered most. Then she braced herself and looked at him scornfully.

"You surely lost your nerve and got imagining things when you were
hiding in the bogs. It's a quite impossible story!"

"It sounds like that, but I have some proof; money for Daly and another
man, which I suppose you were to send on. It's evidently their share
of the plunder."

He took out his wallet and held up the checks, keeping, however, a firm
grip on them, because he knew that if Carmen meant to fight for her
lover she would not be scrupulous.

"Daly wasn't near the factory the night Fred Hulton was killed. I know
where he was," she said in a strained but defiant voice.

"All the better for him," Foster rejoined. "It's pretty clear that he
had a share in the thing."

Carmen suddenly leaned back and turned her head. She had given in
sooner than Foster expected, but the evidence was overwhelming. He did
not look at her for some moments and felt ashamed of the cruelty he had
had to use, but there was no avoiding this when a number of people's
happiness was at stake. After all, he thought it was rather her
ambition than her affection that had been engaged. Then rousing
herself with an effort she turned to him.

"Well," she said, "it looks as if I'd had an escape!"

Foster felt comforted, but did not answer, and she resumed: "You
haven't told me this for nothing. What do you want?"

"I want to know where Daly is. I've no doubt he called here on his way
west and you have his address."

"You can't force me to give it you."

"I don't know if I can or not, but don't want to use force," Foster
replied, and while he waited, hesitating to play his last card, Carmen
looked up with fear in her eyes.

"Jake," she said, "you mustn't think my father knows anything about
this. I sent the packet, without telling him, because Daly asked me."

"But your father and he had some business together that nobody knew
about."

"They had. They were really backing Nicholson, who got the first
recorders turned off the Fish-hawk silver claim."

"Ah!" said Foster, "now I understand!"

He was glad to admit that her statement explained Austin