had worked himself into a fury, and was all the madder
on account of the cynical indifference of his antagonist. "I tell you I
had nothing to do with it; it was your scheme and Lind's; I did as I was
bid. I tell you I could make this very plain if--"

He hesitated.

"Well--if what?" Beratinsky said, calmly.

"You know very well. I say you are not in a position to insult people
and make enemies. You are a very clever man in your own estimation, my
friend Beratinsky; but I would give you the advice to be a little more
civil."

Beratinsky regarded him for a second in silence.

"I scarcely know whether it is worth while to point out certain things
to you, friend Reitzei, or whether to leave you to go home and sleep off
your anger."

"My anger, as you call it, is not a thing of the moment. Oh, I assure
you it has nothing to do with the champagne I have just drunk, and which
was not paid for by you, thank God! No; my anger--my wish to have you
alter your manner a little--has been growing for some time; but it is of
late, my dear Beratinsky, that you have become more unbearable than
ever."

"Don't make a fool of yourself, Reitzei; I at least am not going to
stand in the streets talking nonsense at two in the morning.
Good-night!"

He stepped from the pavement on to the street, to cross.

"Stop!" said Reitzei, seizing his arm with both hands.

Beratinsky shook him off violently, and turned. There might have been a
blow; but Reitzei, who was a coward, shrunk back.

Beratinsky advanced.

"Look here, Reitzei," he said, in a low voice, "I think you are sober
enough to understand this. You were throwing out vague threats about
what you might do or might not do; that means that you think you could
go and tell something about the proceedings of to-night: you are a
fool!"

"Very well--very well."

"Perhaps you do not remember, for example, Clause I., the very first
clause in the Obligations binding on Officers of the Second Degree; you
do not remember that, perhaps?" He was now talking in a quietly
contemptuous way; the little spasm of anger that had disturbed him when
Reitzei put his hands on his arm had immediately passed away. "The
punishment for any one revealing, for any reason or purpose whatever,
what has been done, or is about to be done by orders of the Council, or
by any one acting under these orders--you remember the rest, my
friend?--the punishment is death! My good Reitzei, do not deprive me of
the ple