our hero was one of those who
expanded in a crisis.

The girl upon reaching the cabin rapped on the door and from the inside
came the demand:

"Who's there?"

"I am here."

"Alone?"

"No, the gentleman is with me."

"Come in."

The girl pushed the cabin door open, and our hero entering found himself
in a dimly-lighted apartment and in the presence of a villainous,
dark-faced man. The latter eyed his visitor by the aid of the dim,
flickering light shed abroad in the room by a sputtering candle.

"Be seated," said the man, and he spoke in fairly good English.

Our hero obeyed and expected the girl would tell the man that his
visitor had not visited him unaccompanied, but she said nothing beyond
asking:

"Shall I go?"

"Yes, you can go."

A moment later and Argetti, as the man chose to be called, and our hero
were sitting face to face under the dim light of the sputtering candle.
Argetti fixed his glittering eyes on our hero as though he would read
him through and through, and at length, in a quick, sharp tone he said:

"You desire to see me?"

"Yes."

"Well, what is your purpose?"

"That's all," answered our hero coolly.

"That's all?"

"Yes."

"What do you mean?"

"What I say."

"But you desired to see me?"

"Yes."

"And I repeat why did you desire to see me?"

"I wanted to see what you looked like."

"And you have no special business with me?"

"No."

"Then why did you come here?"

"I wanted to see you, that's all."

"On what business?"

"No business. I merely desired to gratify my curiosity."

"Are you a fool or do you take me to be a fool?"

"Neither."

"Your conduct is so strange I do not know what to think."

"Can I trust you?"

"Yes."

"I am using you as a guy. I am seeking to fool a man."

Argetti stared with an amazed look upon his face, and our hero
continued:

"Yes, I am using you as a decoy. I find I _am_ being 'dogged,' by a
certain man. He is on my track to-night. He was on my track this
afternoon and I wished to act very mysterious and fool him, so when the
girl asked my business this afternoon I told her I was looking for a
gentleman named Argetti. My answer was a 'steer,' but the girl said she
knew Argetti. I had invented the name and was surprised, so I conceived
a desire to see the individual. I had, as it appears, individualized,
for I knew no Argetti until the girl said she knew the man. Is your name
Argetti?"

"Permit me, please, to think o