eath, Lady Elza?"

She was struggling to guard from him her emotions; struggling to match
her woman's wit against him.

"I--why no," she stammered.

"No? Because he is--your friend?"

"Yes. I--I would not let you do that."

"Not let me?" Incredulous amusement swept over his face.

"No. I would not--let you do that." Her gaze now held level with his. A
strength came to her voice. Georg and I watched her--and watched
Tarrano--fascinated. She repeated once more: "No. I would not let you."

"How could you stop me?"

"I would--tell you not to do it."

"So?" Admiration leaped into his eyes to mingle with the amusement
there. "You would tell me not to do it?"

"Yes." She did not flinch before him.

"And you think then--I would spare him?"

"Yes. I know you would."

"And why?"

"Because--if you did a thing like that--I should--hate you."

"Hate----"

"Yes. Hate you--always."

He turned suddenly away from her, sitting up with a snap of alertness.
"Enough of this." Did he realize he was defeated in this passage with a
girl? Was he trying to cover from us the knowledge of his defeat? And
then again the bigness of him made itself manifest. He acknowledged
soberly:

"You have bested me, Lady Elza. And you've made me realize that
I--Tarrano--have almost lowered myself to admit this Jac Hallen my
rival." He laughed harshly. "Not so! A rival? Pah! He shall live if you
wish it--live close by you and me--as an insect might live on a twig by
the rim of the eagle's nest.... Enough!... I was asking you, Georg
Brende, of this ultimatum. Should I yield to it?" He had suppressed his
other emotions; he was amusing himself with us again.

"Yes," said Georg.

"But I have already refused--today in the garden. Would you have me
change? I am not one lightly to change a decision already reached."

"You'll have to."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. Of one thing I am sure. I cannot let them declare
war against me just now. I have no defense, here in Venia. Scarce the
armament for my handful of men. Your vessels of war would sweep down
here and overpower me in a breath--trap me here helpless----"

"Of course," said Georg.

"And so I must not let them do that. They want me to come to Washington
with the Brende model--deliver it over to them. Yet--that does not
appeal to me. Tomorrow I shall have to bargain with them further. I
could not deliver to them the Brende model." He was chuckling at his own
phrasing. "No--no, I could not d