nlightenment from Hardy.
"Senor Loan Fish, do you know?"

Pell ventured to get out part of a sentence. "Say, what the ..." But
Pedro's active gun came against his ribs, and he paused, as who would not?

"She gets it all--the wife," Hardy told Lopez. "That is, if the husband
hasn't made a will."

"'Ave you?" the bandit turned on Pell. "'Ave you made a will?" His tone was
incisive. "Do not lie."

"No, damn you!" Pell in his rage cried out. "But I'm going to, the first
min--"

"Good!" smiled Lopez.

Pell was puzzled, "What do you mean ... good?"

Lopez did not answer him; instead, he addressed Lucia: "Senora, your
'usband 'e is bad frand for you. 'E beat you, sometimes?"

Lucia was startled. "Why do you think that?" she asked.

"I 'ave known ladies what are beaten. It is in ze eyes ... as in dogs and
'orses." He waited a second before he went on, came close to her, and
peered earnestly into her eyes. "_Si_, I sink your 'usband a evil man." He
turned on Pell again. "Say, who are you? Your business, I mean?"

"I'm in Wall Street," Pell said, in a low voice. What in God's name was
this bandit going to do? What was his game?

"Wall Street? 'Aven't you never done anything honest? You go to ze war,
per'aps, like my frand, Senor Jones?"

"I was in Washington," Pell winced. "A dollar-a-year man."

"You use your money, your power, to escape ze war? So! You are not only a
skindler, but a coward. While my frand fight, you stay to home, to torture
ze woman, H'm! I see it all now. Nice boy, you!"

Pell could scarcely articulate now, but he managed to get out, "By God,
I've had enough of this--just about enough!"

Lopez looked at him coldly, a glint in his eye that should have warned
Pell. "Do not worry," he said. "You are about through." He turned to his
friend, Gilbert. "And now, my frand, you shall go." Young Jones did not
understand him.

"Go?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

Lopez looked at him calmly, "I 'ave much business to do. You shall not
'ear, nor see, because for you is love, romance! Not business, which are
soddid. Leave all zat for me, which am a business man." He smiled upon
Lucia. "As I said, life 'as been unkind to you, senora. Ze silly law ... ze
foolish custom ... 'ave been around your 'eart, around your soul, like
chains. But fear no more," he assured her. "For I, your frand, shall make
you also 'appy." He put his arm around her.

She was fearful of his plans. "What are you going to do?" she cri