"Then I was rightly informed and we are in that man's power--yes, in his
power absolutely."

"You say you were rightly informed?"

"Yes."

"What was your information?"

"I was informed that the man Tavares was a Shylock, a designing devil.
You were right when you said I had been tricked."

"And who was your informant?"

The baron proceeded and told the whole story, all the facts known to our
readers, together with his recent meal with the detective who was his
informant.

The woman listened attentively with a glitter in her eyes, and when the
narrative had been concluded, she said:

"All is lost unless you can force matters, then we can legitimately
raise all the money we need. Your wife can get all the money she
desires, and at once."

The detective's blood ran cold. The words "your wife" were terrible in
their suggestion.

"I can do better."

"You can?"

"Yes."

"What can you do?"

"Recover that note with the forged acceptance."

"How?"

"I will invite that Spaniard to accompany me to some out-of-the-way
place; I will overcome and force him to give up the note."

"You mean you would commit murder?"

"No."

"And you must not, my son. We have gone far enough in crime. I will
never consent to the crime of murder."

"We need not murder him, we can abduct him and keep him out of the way
until our plans are completed."

"Yes, we might do that if we could succeed, then we could force matters
and let him loose later, even pay him an indemnity and return to Europe.
My good husband would not object as long as it did not cost him
anything."

"We must do something, and we must act at once."

"August, you are a brave and skillful man. Now you know the real danger
you will be able to devise some plan, but no time must be lost; we must
move rapidly. Let us get this immediate danger removed and we can bring
the other matter about at once, but it is strange how obstinate and
determined _that girl_ is. There we must force matters, but I did hope
that we would secure money enough to go to Europe. If we could carry her
to Europe we would be all right. We could furnish proofs of her
identity, secure the money, and all would be well, but she must first be
your wife, and I repeat, if she does not consent, then I will assent _to
the plan you proposed_. It is a terrible device, but she must be your
wife, and that within forty-eight hours. If she does not yield we will
force matters, and she will be glad to