or me as well elsewhere. It will settle pretty quick whether
you've got the right to those letters, and whether you've taken the
right way to get them sir."

"I have no desire to evade any responsibility in this matter, legal or
otherwise," said Carroll, coldly, rising to his feet.

"Look here," said Prince, suddenly, with a return of his brusque
frankness; "you might have ASKED me for those letters, you know."

"And you wouldn't have given them to me," said Carroll.

Prince laughed. "That's so! I say, Captain. Did they teach you this
sort of strategy at West Point?"

"They taught me that I could neither receive nor give an insult under a
white flag," said Carroll, pleasantly. "And they allowed me to make
exchanges under the same rule. I picked up this pocket-book on the
spot where the accident occurred to Dr. West. It is evidently his. I
leave it with you, who are his executor."

The instinct of reticence before a man with whom he could never be
confidential kept him from alluding to his other discovery.

Prince took the pocket-book, and opened it mechanically. After a
moment's scrutiny of the memoranda it contained, his face assumed
something of the same concentrated attention it wore at the beginning
of the interview. Raising his eyes suddenly to Carroll, he said,
quickly,--

"You have examined it?"

"Only so far as to see that it contained nothing of importance to the
person I represent," returned Carroll, simply.

The capitalist looked at the young officer's clear eyes. Something of
embarrassment came into his own as he turned them away.

"Certainly. Only memoranda of the Doctor's business. Quite important
to us, you know. But nothing referring to YOUR principal." He
laughed. "Thank you for the exchange. I say--take a drink!"

"Thank you--no!" returned Carroll, going to the door.

"Well, good-by."

He held out his hand. Carroll, with his clear eyes still regarding
him, passed quietly by the outstretched hand, opened the door, bowed,
and made his exit.

A slight flush came into Prince's cheek. Then, as the door closed, he
burst into a half-laugh. Had he been a dramatic villain, he would have
added to it several lines of soliloquy, in which he would have
rehearsed the fact that the opportunity for revenge had "come at last";
that the "haughty victor who had just left with his ill-gotten spoil
had put into his hands the weapon of his friend's destruction"; that
the "hour had come