p the interests which were confided to my hands, to
prove myself a traitor to those who trusted me, and then you say I may
go. I take leave to doubt the latter statement. In any case, I shall
certainly not do as you wish."

"You still refuse to disclose the secret of the ruby-mine you found?"

"I do."

"It would be better, I think, for you to reconsider that decision,"
said the half-caste, in his cold, cruel voice. "There are ways, you
know, of making people speak, however obstinate they may be."

"You refer to torture, without doubt," said Mr. Haydon, in as cool a
tone as though he were speaking on the most indifferent subject.
"Well, I do not wish to boast, but I hardly think you will get
anything out of me that way."

"Why, there I am inclined to agree with you," said the half-caste, in
his silkiest tones. "That is to say, so far as applying torture to
yourself personally is concerned. You are a stubborn Englishman, and
that means you will cheerfully die before you give in; is it not so?"

"Then, if you think it useless to deal with me in such fashion, why
enter upon talk of it?" demanded Mr. Haydon.

"Oh," said the half-caste, "such a thing may be useful yet. If you
were careless about torture applied to yourself, you might see it in
another light when brought to bear on someone to whom you were
attached?"

Mr. Haydon gave a scornful laugh. "And where will you find such a
person in this den of thieves?" he asked, drily.

Upon this reply, Saya Chone and U Saw burst into a great shout of
mocking laughter. They rolled to and fro in their mirth, and the room
rang again with their hideous merriment. Mr. Haydon looked from one to
the other, his brow knitted in puzzled wonder.

But behind the curtain Jack's heart had sunk very low indeed, and a
light of terror had come into his eyes. Now he saw at a flash why the
half-caste had carried him off, and pursued him so closely and
fiercely, yet without doing him the least harm. It had puzzled Jack a
score of times why Saya Chone had not killed him, and so put an end to
any further trouble, but now he saw the whole plan only too clearly.

By this time the Ruby King knew the character of Thomas Haydon, and
had learned that neither threats nor force had power to sway him from
his duty in order to save himself. But what if his only son, his boy
Jack, was exposed to a like danger: would that not break down his iron
resolution?

The terror which had come into Jack's eye