t anything I said or did, and--would you give me
some supper?"

Benita did so, and he ate in silence, with some heartiness. When he had
finished his food, and swallowed two or three tots of squareface, he
spoke again:

"I have come here, where I know I am not welcome, upon business," he
said in a calm, matter-of-fact voice. "I am tired of this place, and
I think it is time that we attained the object of our journey here,
namely, to find the hidden gold. That, as we all know, can only be done
in a certain way, through the clairvoyant powers of one of us and the
hypnotic powers of another. Miss Clifford, I request that you will allow
me to throw you into a state of trance. You have told us everything
else, but you have not yet told us where the treasure is hidden, and
this it is necessary that we should know."

"And if I refuse, Mr. Meyer?"

"Then I am sorry, but I must take means to compel your obedience. Under
those circumstances, much against my will, I shall be obliged"--here
his eye blazed out wildly--"to execute your father, whose obstinacy
and influence stand between us and splendid fortunes. No, Clifford," he
added, "don't stretch out your hand towards that rifle, for I am already
covering you with the pistol in my pocket, and the moment your hand
touches it I shall fire. You poor old man, do you imagine for a single
second that, sick as you are, and with your stiff limbs, you can hope to
match yourself against my agility, intellect, and strength? Why, I could
kill you in a dozen ways before you could lift a finger against me, and
by the God I do not believe in, unless your daughter is more compliant,
kill you I will!"

"That remains to be seen, my friend," said Mr. Clifford with a laugh,
for he was a brave old man. "I am not certain that the God--whom you do
not believe in--will not kill you first."

Now Benita, who had been taking counsel with herself, looked up and said
suddenly:

"Very well, Mr. Meyer, I consent--because I must. To-morrow morning you
shall try to mesmerize me, if you can, in the same place, before the
crucifix in the cave."

"No," he answered quickly. "It was not there, it was here, and here it
shall be again. The spot you mention is unpropitious to me; the attempt
would fail."

"It is the spot that I have chosen," answered Benita stubbornly.

"And this is the spot that I have chosen, Miss Clifford, and my will
must prevail over yours."

"Because you who do not believe in spirit