nd have done his
best to choke the life right out of him then and there, if Mr. Dacre had
not intervened.

"Steady, old man!" Mr. Dacre turned to the stranger. "You appear to be a
pretty sort of a scoundrel."

The stranger gave his shoulders that almost imperceptible shrug.

"Oh, my dear Dacre, I am in want of money! I believe that you sometimes
are in want of money, too."

Everybody knows that nobody knows where Ivor Dacre gets his money from, so
the allusion must have tickled him immensely.

"You're a cool hand," he said.

"Some men are born that way."

"So I should imagine. Men like you must be born, not made."

"Precisely--as you say!" The stranger turned, with his graceful smile, to
the duke: "But are we not wasting precious time? I can assure your grace
that, in this particular matter, moments are of value."

Mr. Dacre interposed before the duke could answer.

"If you take my strongly urged advice, Datchet, you will summon this
constable who is now coming down the Arcade, and hand this gentleman over
to his keeping. I do not think that you need fear that the duchess will
lose her arm, or even her little finger. Scoundrels of this one's kidney
are most amenable to reason when they have handcuffs on their wrists."

The duke plainly hesitated. He would--and he would not. The stranger, as
he eyed him, seemed much amused.

"My dear duke, by all means act on Mr. Dacre's valuable suggestion. As I
said before, why not? It would at least be interesting to see if the
duchess does or does not lose her arm--almost as interesting to you as to
Mr. Dacre. Those blackmailing, kidnaping scoundrels do use such empty
menaces. Besides, you would have the pleasure of seeing me locked up. My
imprisonment for life would recompense you even for the loss of her
grace's arm. And five hundred pounds is such a sum to have to pay--merely
for a wife! Why not, therefore, act on Mr. Dacre's suggestion? Here comes
the constable." The constable referred to was advancing toward them--he
was not a dozen yards away. "Let me beckon to him--I will with pleasure."
He took out his watch--a gold chronograph repeater. "There are scarcely
ten minutes left during which it will be possible for me to send the
communication which I spoke of, so that it may arrive in time. As it will
then be too late, and the instruments are already prepared for the little
operation which her grace is eagerly anticipating, it would, perhaps, be
as well, after all,