o you think I would let you give your money to Van Brandt?"
she asked, as soon as she could speak. "I, who owe everything to your
devotion to me? Never! Let me tell you the plain truth. There is
a serious necessity for his getting out of prison. He must pay his
creditors; and he has found out a way of doing it--with my help."

"Your help?" I exclaimed.

"Yes. This is his position, in two words: A little while since, he
obtained an excellent offer of employment abroad, from a rich relative
of his, and he had made all his arrangements to accept it. Unhappily,
he returned to tell me of his good fortune, and the same day he was
arrested for debt. His relative has offered to keep the situation open
for a certain time, and the time has not yet expired. If he can pay
a dividend to his creditors, they will give him his freedom; and he
believes he can raise the money if I consent to insure my life."

To insure her life! The snare that had been set for her was plainly
revealed in those four words.

In the eye of the law she was, of course, a single woman: she was of
age; she was, to all intents and purposes, her own mistress. What was
there to prevent her from insuring her life, if she pleased, and from
so disposing of the insurance as to give Van Brandt a direct interest
in her death? Knowing what I knew of him--believing him, as I did, to be
capable of any atrocity--I trembled at the bare idea of what might have
happened if I had failed to find my way back to her until a later date.
Thanks to the happy accident of my position, the one certain way of
protecting her lay easily within my reach. I could offer to lend the
scoundrel the money that he wanted at an hour's notice, and he was the
man to accept my proposal quite as easily as I could make it.

"You don't seem to approve of our idea," she said, noticing, in
evident perplexity, the effect which she had produced on me. "I am very
unfortunate; I seem to have innocently disturbed and annoyed you for the
second time."

"You are quite mistaken," I replied. "I am only doubting whether your
plan for relieving Mr. Van Brandt of his embarrassments is quite so
simple as you suppose. Are you aware of the delays that are likely to
take place before it will be possible to borrow money on your policy of
insurance?"

"I know nothing about it," she said, sadly.

"Will you let me ask the advice of my lawyers? They are trustworthy and
experienced men, and I am sure they can be of use