n't worth risking your life for."

Then I thought of Dolores, and on this thought broke the voice of the
robber, cold and hard.

"You must make up your mind, Mr. Anstruther," he said, "while I count
ten, otherwise I must fire."

He commenced counting slowly.

"One."

The thought of Dolores grew stronger.

"Two."

I could almost _hear_ St. Nivel's voice urging me to give it up.

"Three."

Then there was my promise to the old lady, murdered, I believed, by
these infamous ruffians. I hesitated.

"Four."

"Five."

"Six."

Then came another thought: would the old lady, who had been spoken of
as the Baroness d'Altenberg, hold me to my word under the circumstances?

"Seven."

"Eight."

I doubted it.

"Nine."

I had made up my mind to save my life for Dolores.

"Hold," I said; "I will give it to you!"

He smiled.

"I think you are very sensible," he said; "anybody else but an
Englishman would have given it up long ago, and then a great deal of
trouble and several lives would have been saved."

I put my hand in my pocket despising myself the while for giving way,
but still convinced that I should have been a fool to throw my life
away under the circumstances.

"Perhaps you will tell me," I asked, as I drew the packet from my
pocket, "how it is that you know I am here and that I have the packet
with me?"

He laughed.

"I may as well tell you," he said, "that you have never been left
unwatched since you left Bath."

"You seem to know my movements pretty well yourself," I said, in an
astonished tone.

"Pretty well," he answered, with another smile.

I had no sooner drawn the packet from my pocket than he snatched it
unceremoniously from my hands and walked with it towards the window.

"Don't move," he cried to me, "until I tell you _or_ I shall fire. I
must verify the contents before I leave you."

He still held the pistol in my direction and I have no doubt would have
fired had I made the slightest move towards him, which I could not have
done without making some noise, for about six paces divided us.

I stood still and regarded him as he tore off the covering with his
teeth.

He was so thoroughly engrossed with the task that he did not hear a
slight rustling sound which caused me to turn my head towards the door
which led to the long range of what appeared to be glass houses, and
which was just open a little. What I saw there made me turn cold from
head to foot.

Gliding throug