"If you will excuse me for saying so," he remarked, "that is utter
nonsense. Of course, the boys downstairs and I are quite capable of
taking care of ourselves."

"I don't doubt that," said Nick, "but that is not exactly the point."

"What is, then?"

"You have forgotten one part of her letter," said Nick.

"What part?"

"That part wherein she speaks about making me suffer, rather than
attempting to do me physical harm."

"Oh! I haven't forgotten it."

"Do you understand what she means by that, Chick?"

"Certainly."

"Let me hear if you do."

"Well, she probably means that it would be her first effort to make you
suffer by injuring those whom you love--in other words, by doing
something or other to one of us. But forewarned is forearmed, and,
anyhow, I don't think it behooves any of us to be afraid of a woman."

"This is a case," said Nick, "where a woman is much more dangerous than
a man. A man would fight out in the open; a woman will fight in the
shadow; or, at least, such a woman as that will. She is a pretty bad
one, Chick, and a grave foe."

Chick nodded.

"It is always best," continued the detective, "to give your enemy or
your adversaries credit for every advantage they possess. Black Madge is
a wonderfully smart woman, and is unprincipled and implacable as she is
smart. She will halt at nothing to carry out her design of vengeance,
and just as sure as you are sitting there, Chick, we will presently feel
the surety of that threat."

Chick flicked the ashes from his cigar, and then strode across the room
to the window, where he stood for a moment looking out.

"I don't see exactly what we are going to do to head her off before she
begins," he said presently.

"There is nothing to do," replied Nick gloomily.

"Upon my word," said Chick, laughing, "one would think that you were
more than usually affected by that letter from Madge. Do you really take
it so seriously as all that?"

"I take it seriously," replied the detective, "because I so well
understand what the woman means, and she means just what she says.
Instead of going on evenly and living the life we have been living, we
must not be for an instant off our guard from this day on, until she is
again behind the bars, and I hope the next time I arrest her it will be
within the limits of the State of New York, where I can place a watch
over her so that she will not escape."

"And I hope so, too," said Chick.

"And now, in the meant