leave Harry. It's no use asking me to
do that." She looked up at Gallito and, in spite of her tears, there was
an immovable resolve on her face and, seeing this, a slow, dark flush
crept up her father's cheeks.

"Listen, Pearl," he said, and although he still held the manner of
reasoning amicably with her, there was a touch of iron in his grating
voice, "I'm here to make terms with you and to keep the relations which
should be between father and daughter, but there are many things to
consider when a girl is as obstinate as a pig. Then it is her father's
duty to decide for her and to see that she does what an obedient and
well-brought up girl should do, and he must use what means are in his
power to make her see the right way."

"There are no means in your power to make me see things differently,"
she said, "yours or anybody else's."

"So!" he said slowly, and flicked the ashes from his cigarette with a
hand which trembled slightly. "But all my cards are not played yet. You
think that everything shall go your way, but that is not life; no, that
is not life. Since you have none of the feelings of respect and
obedience which a child should have for a parent, it shall be a game
between us. Now, at once, I will play my trump card." There was a grim
and saturnine triumph in his voice. "Jose!"

She started and looked at him askance, puzzled and yet fearful. "Jose!"
she repeated uncertainly.

"Yes, Jose. Jose has been useful to you, and Jose has spent all his time
with you and him." He nodded his head in the direction of the inner
room. "I have warned him." There was a quiver of passion and resentment
in his voice. "I have pointed out to him again and again the risks that
he was running not only for himself, but me. Yet for me--me who has
befriended him at the risk of my own life, who has kept him in my cabin
for many months, he has no thought, no gratitude. That all goes to
Seagreave, Seagreave who stole you and who now lies strapped in his bed
unable to help you or Jose or any one else. Well, let Seagreave save him
now. And how?" his harsh, mirthless laughter rang out. "Yes, how? Does
Seagreave know the secret trails over the mountains? Not he. Then how is
our dear Jose to escape? Will you engage to get him safely out of Colina
on a railroad train? I think not. Remember there is a big price on his
head."

Pearl had shrunk back from him while he was speaking, both horror and
fright on her face. "But you can't do that f