as a thief! We are apt to call bad men
cowards without much consideration. Mr. Mollett was not without
pluck, but his pluck was now quelled. The circumstances were too
strong against him.

"Listen to me, Mr. Mollett--; and, look here, sir; never mind
turning to the door; you can't go now till you and I have had some
conversation. You may make up your mind to this: you will never
see Sir Thomas Fitzgerald again--unless indeed he should be in the
witness-box when you are standing in the dock."

"Mr. Prendergast; sir!"

"Well. Have you any reason to give why you should not be put in the
dock? How much money have you got from Sir Thomas during the last two
years by means of those threats which you have been using? You were
well aware when you set about this business that you were committing
felony; and have probably felt tolerably sure at times that you would
some day be brought up short. That day has come."

Mr. Prendergast had made up his mind that nothing could be gained by
soft usage with Mr. Mollett. Indeed nothing could be gained in any
way, by any usage, unless it could be shown that Mollett and Talbot
were not the same person. He could afford therefore to tell the
scoundrel that he was a scoundrel, and to declare against him--war to
the knife. The more that Mollett trembled, the more abject he became,
the easier would be the task Mr. Prendergast now had in hand. "Well,
sir," he continued, "are you going to tell me what business has
brought you here to-day?"

But Mr. Mollett, though he did shake in his shoes, did not look at
the matter exactly in the same light. He could not believe that Sir
Thomas would himself throw up the game on any consideration, or that
Mr. Prendergast as his friend would throw it up on his behalf. He,
Mollett, had a strong feeling that he could have continued to deal
easily with Sir Thomas, and that it might be very hard to deal at all
with Mr. Prendergast; but nevertheless the game was still open. Mr.
Prendergast would probably distrust the fact of his being the lady's
husband, and it would be for him therefore to use the indubitable
proofs of the facts that were in his possession.

"Sir Thomas knows very well what I've come about," he began, slowly;
"and if he's told you, why you know too; and in that case--."

But what might or might not happen in that case Mr. Mollett had not
now an opportunity of explaining, for the door opened and Mrs. Jones
entered the room.

"When that man