a still, cold tone. "Be so good as to
sit down in that easy-chair."

Mr. Horser hesitated. For one moment he stood as though about to carry
out his first intention. He stood glaring at his opponent, his face
contracted into a snarl, his whole appearance hideous, almost bestial.
Mr. Sabin smiled upon him contemptuously--the maddening, compelling
smile of the born aristocrat.

"Sit down!"

Mr. Horser sat down, whereupon Mr. Sabin followed suit.

"Now what have you to say to me?" Mr. Sabin asked quietly.

"I want that report," was the dogged answer.

"You will not have it," Mr. Sabin answered. "You can take that for
granted. You shall not take it from me by force, and I will see that you
do not charm it out of my pocket by other means. The information which
it contains is of the utmost possible importance to me. I have bought it
and paid for it, and I shall use it."

Mr. Horser moistened his dry lips.

"I will give you," he said, "twenty thousand dollars for its return."

Mr. Sabin laughed softly.

"You bid high," he said. "I begin to suspect that our friends on the
other side of the water have been more than ordinarily kind to you."

"I will give you--forty thousand dollars."

Mr. Sabin raised his eyebrows.

"So much? After all, that sounds more like fear than anything. You
cannot hope to make a profitable deal out of that. Dear me! It seems
only a few minutes ago that I heard your interesting friend, Mr.
Skinner, shake with laughter at the mention of such a thing as a secret
society."

"Skinner is a blasted fool," Horser exclaimed fiercely. "Listen here,
Mr. Sabin. You can read that report if you must, but, as I'm a living
man you'll not stir from New York if you do. I'll make your life a hell
for you. Don't you understand that no one but a born fool would dare
to quarrel with me in this city? I hold the prison keys, the police
are mine. I shall make my own charge, whatever I choose, and they shall
prove it for me."

Mr. Sabin shook his head.

"This sounds very shocking," he remarked. "I had no idea that the
largest city of the most enlightened country in the world was in such a
sorry plight."

"Oh, curse your sarcasm," Mr. Horser said. "I'm talking facts, and
you've got to know them. Will you give up that report? You can find out
all there is in it for yourself. But I'm going to give it you straight.
If I don't have that report back unread, you'll never leave New York."

Mr. Sabin was genuinely