heir terrifying experience
of the night before, she was to be disappointed. The hard eyes of the
man compelled her to keep to the matter under discussion.

"He looks pretty hard," said the girl. "He is not the man to fall for
that heart-to-heart stuff."

"What do you mean?" asked the colonel.

"Just that," said the girl with a shrug. "I can't imagine his picking me
up and taking me to dinner and pouring out the secrets of his young
heart at the second bottle."

"Neither can I," said the colonel thoughtfully. "You're a pretty clever
girl, Lollie, and I'm going to make it worth your while to get close to
that fellow. He's the one man in Scotland Yard that we want to put out
of business. Not that we've anything to be afraid of," he added vaguely,
"but he's just interfering with----"

He paused for a word.

"With business," said the girl. "Oh, come off it, colonel! Just tell me
how far you want me to go."

"You've got to go to the limit," said the other decidedly. "You've got
to put him as wrong as you can. He must be compromised up to his neck."

"What about my young reputation?" asked the girl with a grimace.

"If you lose it, we'll buy you another," said the colonel drily, "and I
reckon it's about time you had another one, Lollie."

The girl fingered her chin thoughtfully.

"It is not going to be easy," she said again. "It isn't going to be like
young Spillsbury--Pinto Silva could have done that job without help--or
Solomon White even."

"You can shut up about Spillsbury," growled the colonel. "I've told you
to forget everything that has ever happened in our business! And I've
told you a hundred times not to mention Pinto or any of the other men in
this business! You can do as you're told! And take that look off your
face!"

He rose with extraordinary agility and leant over, glowering at the
girl.

"You've been getting a bit too fresh lately, Lollie, and giving yourself
airs! You don't try any of that grand lady stuff with me, d'ye hear?"

There was nothing suave in the colonel's manner, nothing slow or
ponderous or courtly. He spoke rapidly and harshly and revealed the
brute that many suspected but few knew.

"I've no more respect for women than I have for men, understand! If you
ever get gay with me, I'll take your neck in my hand like that," he
clenched his two fists together with a horribly suggestive motion and
the frightened girl watched him, fascinated. "I'll break you as if you
were a bit of