glish. Then, after a few moments' pause, he added: "Do you
know, my dear Adolphe, I have some news for you."

"News?"

"Yes. I'm going to be married in November."

"Married!" echoed Carlier, staring at his friend. "Who's the lucky
girl?"

"She's French; lives here in London; smart, sweet--a perfect peach," was
his answer. "She'll be a lot of use to us in future."

Carlier was silent for a few moments.

"Does she know anything?" he asked in a low, serious voice.

"Nothing."

"What will she say when she knows?"

"What can she say?" asked Ansell, with a grin.

"She's not one of us, I suppose?"

"One of us? Why, no, my dear fellow. I'll introduce you to-morrow. You
must dine with us--dine before we go out and do the job. But she must
not suspect anything--you understand?"

"Of course," replied the young Frenchman. "I'll be delighted to meet
her, Ralph, but--but I'm thinking it is rather dangerous for you to
marry an honourable girl."

"What?" cried the other, angry in an instant. "Do you insinuate that I'm
not worthy to have a decent, well-brought-up girl for a wife?"

"Ah! you misunderstand me, _mon vieux_. I insinuate nothing," replied
Carlier. "I scent danger, that is all. She may turn from you
when--well--when she knows what we really are."

Ansell's mouth hardened.

"When she knows she'll have to grin and bear it," was the answer.

"She might give us away."

"No, she won't do that, I can assure you. The little fool loves me too
well."

"Is that the way you speak of her?"

"Every girl who loves a man blindly is, in my estimation, a fool."

"Then your estimation of woman is far poorer than I believed, Ralph,"
responded Carlier. "If a girl loves a man truly and well, as apparently
this young lady loves you, then surely she ought not to be sneered at.
We have, all of us, loved at one time or other in our lives."

"You're always a sentimental fool where women are concerned, Adolphe,"
laughed his companion.

"I may be," answered the other. "And I can assure you that I would never
dare to marry while leading the life I do."

"And what better life can you ever hope to lead, pray? Do we not get
excitement, adventure, money, pleasure--everything that makes life worth
living? Neither you nor I could ever settle down to the humdrum
existence of so-called respectability. But are these people who pose as
being so highly respectable really any more honest than we are? No, my
dear friend. The sharks on