FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139  
140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   >>   >|  
hen it sank. For very dear to that boy's heart had been the dream of rescuing her himself. And then he hated himself for that base envy. For what did it matter as long as little Arlee was safe, and that she was gone with Falconer, the empty room and the signs of hasty departure all spoke in witness. He wondered sharply how they had gone and whether he had better try to follow them and then thought it was shrewder to go back the way he had come and from below to try to guard whatever descent they must make. He turned swiftly and crossed to the door. With a hand outstretched toward it he caught suddenly, beneath all the distant din, the click of a sliding lock, and he whirled about, dropping his right hand into his pocket, to see a pale face staring at him from the other side of the bed. "Not a move--or you drop!" said Captain Kerissen. The candle lights glinted on the muzzle of a gun leveled steadily at him. "Stay where you are," the Captain added, and Billy stayed, and through the dusk the two men stood eyeing each with a glare of hatred. But Kerissen's eyes held hatred triumphant. "So, Monsieur," said the Turk. "This is the midnight call you gentlemen pay--in the chamber of my wife." "Your wife!" Billy gave a snort of unbelief. "She says you did not marry her!" "When you are found dead--if you are found," the other continued, looking lovingly along the sight, "there will not even be a question into the cause. You will be carted off like carrion--carrion that prowled too near." "Just the same you've made a mistake," said Billy in a dogged and argumentative tone. "I'm not interested in visiting any wife of yours. The lady I'm representing says you didn't marry her. But she says you did keep back most of her jewelry and she's giving the story to the papers to-morrow unless I return with the stuff to-night." He could not guess what impression this speech was making. "I am not interested in your stories, Monsieur," the Turk returned blandly. "I am interested only in your dispatching--which I feel should be prolonged beyond the mercy of a shot." "Look here, I'm not a common robber and you know it," said Billy, and his voice sounded rough and angry. "I'm here to collect the property of the lady you detained here, while she was under contract in Vienna. I don't want anything more than _belongs_ to her. She left----" "With a great deal more upon her than she brought! But am I to suppose, Monsieur, th
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   115   116   117   118   119   120   121   122   123   124   125   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139  
140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150   151   152   153   154   155   156   157   158   159   160   161   162   163   164   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
interested
 

Monsieur

 

Kerissen

 
carrion
 

Captain

 

hatred

 

visiting

 

unbelief

 

argumentative

 

dogged


mistake

 
prowled
 

question

 
continued
 
lovingly
 

carted

 

collect

 

property

 

detained

 

sounded


common

 

robber

 

contract

 

brought

 

suppose

 
Vienna
 

belongs

 

morrow

 

return

 

papers


jewelry

 

giving

 
impression
 

dispatching

 

prolonged

 

blandly

 

speech

 

making

 

stories

 

returned


representing
 
shrewder
 

thought

 

follow

 

sharply

 
wondered
 

crossed

 
outstretched
 
caught
 

swiftly