Myself, of course, as well." He shrugged his shoulders philosophically.
"Under the circumstances, as a gentleman--will you let me say I prefer
that word to the one I know you are substituting for it--what else can I
do?"

She bit her lips. Was he mocking her? The gray eyes were inscrutable
now.

"Then please do not let me detain you!" she said sharply. "And in my
turn, let me advise you to go at once. I intend to knock one of
those shields down from the wall before I go, in order to arouse the
household. I will, however, in part payment for last night, allow you
three full minutes from the time you climb out of that window, so that
you may have ample time to get away."

He stared at her in frank bewilderment.

"Good Lord!" he gasped. "You--you're joking, Miss Gray."

"No, I am not," she replied coolly. "Far from it! There was money stolen
that I cannot replace, and the theft of the money would be put upon
the same innocent shoulders. I see no other way than the one I have
mentioned. If whoever runs into this room is permitted to get a glimpse
of me, and is given the impression that the necklace, which I shall
leave on the floor, was dropped in my haste, the supposition remains
that, at least, I got away with the money. I am certainly not the
innocent man who has been used as the pawn; and if I am recognized as
the White Moll, what does it matter--after last night?"

He took a step toward her impetuously--and stopped quite as impetuously.
Her revolver had swung to a level with his head.

"Pardon me!" he said.

"Not at all!" she said caustically.

For the first time, as she watched him warily, the Adventurer appeared
to lose some of his self-assurance. He shifted a little uneasily on
his feet, and the corners of his eyes puckered into a nest of perturbed
wrinkles.

"I say, Miss Gray, you can't mean this!" he protested. "You're not
serious!"

"I have told you that I am," she answered steadily. "Those three minutes
that I gave you are going fast."

"Then look here!" he exclaimed earnestly. "I'll tell you something. I
said I had been trying to find you to-night. It was the truth. I went to
Gypsy Nan's--and might have been spared my pains. I told her about last
night, and that I knew you were in danger, and that I wanted to help
you. I mention this so that you will understand that I am not just
speaking on the spur of the moment, now that I have an opportunity of
repeating that offer in person."

She looked