a king by my power.

"I give thee until noon to think over thy answer. Go, and the gods
protect thee and make thee faithful to me."

Calling Milo back, she bade him conduct Pearse from the great chamber,
and as they passed out, little Pascherette peered up at Pearse with an
impudent smile, and with her head on one side like a bird she chattered:

"White stranger, thou'rt a fool! What Dolores wills, will surely come to
pass. If thy heart fails thee, and thy friends are safe at thy hands,
dost think they will have like scruples? Fool again! One of them will
kill thee and the other, and that man will gain a peerless mate. And,
bend down thy tall head, thou imitation giant--already thy two friends
are liberated, each seeking the life of the other, though neither knows
of the other's freedom!"

"What?" stammered Pearse, gripping the girl's slim shoulder fiercely.
"If you lie--"

"Pshaw! One need not lie to befool thee!" Pascherette retorted
scornfully. "Sleep, and if thy throat is not yet slit on thy awakening,
make thy decision quickly, and tell it to Dolores."

Pearse would have answered her with more questioning, but she laughed at
him, and bade Milo shut him out. So the great rock fell, and Pearse
wandered into the camp, not knowing where he went, and caring little. He
had no place to sleep, so far as he knew; yet he felt no wonder. He
walked through the sleeping-camp, across the grove, and into the forest,
his brain on fire and seething with the problem before him.

"The treasure, with or without the woman!" he muttered, clenching his
hands savagely. "The treasure! Ye gods! There must be the wealth of
_Monte Cristo_ there!" He broke off into a harsh laugh at thought of his
challenge with the torch. "The witch!" he chuckled. "She was clever, but
John Pearse overreached her. Now I know her heart. But--"

He wandered on, and his mind was centered upon Venner and Tomlin. The
more he thought over the situation, the more he found his ideas forming
themselves after Dolores's.

"Why should I share it?" he asked of the winking stars.

And while he communed with himself regarding her and her demands,
Dolores overlooked Milo in a task that brought a sparkle to her eyes and
a gleaming smile to her lips. They were repacking the great treasure
chests.

CHAPTER XVIII.

PASCHERETTE DEALS AGAIN.

Dolores spent her night in slumber as peaceful as a babe's. When Milo
had completed his task with the treasure chests