tood close to him, slipped my left arm under his
left along his back, and caught his right arm in my left hand. Then I
took from his pocket a pistol, which I put into my own. I felt in his
clothing, and finally discovered a knife, hidden in a scabbard at the
back of his neck. I drew it out--a long-bladed, ivory thing I found it
later, with gold let into the hilt and woven into the steel.

He eased himself in my grip as much as he could, waiting; as I knew,
for his chance to twist and grapple with me. I could feel him breathing
deeply and easily, resting, waiting for his time, using his brains to
aid his body with perfect deliberation.

"It's no use, Orme," I said to him, finally. "I can wring your neck, or
break your back, or twist your arms off, and by God! I've a notion to do
them all. If you make any attempt to get away I'm going to kill you. Now
come along."

I shoved him ahead of me, his arms pinioned, until we found a seat far
away in a dark portion of the great front yard. Here I pushed him down
and took the other end of the seat, covering him with his own pistol.

"Now," I demanded, "tell me what you are doing here."

"You have your privilege at guessing," he sneered, in his easy, mocking
way. "Have you never taken a little adventure of this sort yourself?"

"Ah, some servant girl--at your host's house. Excellent adventure. But
this is your last one," I said to him.

"Is it so," he sneered. "Then let me make my prayers!" He mocked at me,
and had no fear of me whatever.

"In Virginia we keep the shotgun for men who prowl around houses at
night. What are you doing here?"

"You have no right to ask. It is not your house."

"There was a light," said I. "For that reason I have a right to ask. I
am a guest, and a guest has duties as well as a host."

A certain change in mood seized him. "If I give you parole," he asked,
"will you believe me, and let us talk freely?"

"Yes," said I at length, slowly. "You are a liar; but I do not think you
will break parole."

"You gauge me with perfect accuracy," he answered. "That is why I wish
to talk."

I threw the pistol on the seat between us. "What is it you want to
know," I asked. "And again I ask you, why are you here, when you are
supposed to be in South Carolina?"

"I have business here. You cost me my chance out there in the West," he
answered, slowly. "In turn I cost you your chance there. I shall cost
you other things here. I said you should pay my debt.