nt, which caused the Russian woman
to retreat three or four steps.

Now Jack drew himself up, for he was becoming master of himself. He at
once resolved to play this game, if there was to be more of it, with
greater coolness.

"I think you see, Monsieur, that I am not be frightened by your childish
gymnastics," Benson uttered.

M. Lemaire, too, had forced himself to greater coolness.

"Why, Captain Benson, I might even kill, if I found it necessary,"
replied the Frenchman.

"Then don't get any notion that it's necessary," frowned the young
submarine captain. "It would get you into a fearful lot of trouble,
and could do you no possible good."

"But you called me a 'dog,'" pursued M. Lemaire, plaintively. "To a
Frenchman that is the gr-r-r-rand insult!"

"Let it go at that, then," proposed Benson, with a pretense at
amiability.

"Ah! Then you will forget what has just happened, if I will?" cried the
Frenchman, eagerly. "That is admir-r-r-rable! Now, then, ten
thousand dollars I have said you shall be paid for what you will furnish
me. Ah, even in this rich country, one can do much with ten dollars!"

"It wouldn't be much, I'm afraid, as compared with my prospects with the
Pollard Company," replied Captain Jack, with his most thoughtful air.

"Your prospects with the company?" echoed M. Lemaire. "Why, my bright
young captain, your prospects with the company will continue just the
same. They will never know that you have taken this little fortune
from me. Ten thousand dollars! Think of that!"

"And you'd turn around and sell what I'd, give you for a half a million,
very likely."

"Oh, no, no, no!" disclaimed the Frenchman, solemnly. "There would be
nothing like that in it for me."

"Then no foreign government wants very badly to know about the Pollard
plans," inquired Jack.

"There is no government that would pay a really great fortune for such
information,". M. Lemaire assured the submarine boy.

"There is one," retorted Captain Jack, with a cunning smile.

"Which one?" demanded the Frenchman, doubtingly.

"One that you don't happen to represent," laughed Jack, quietly.

"Ah, I much doubt it, though I beg you to pardon me for saying so,
Captain Benson."

"Why man alive," grumbled Jack, "are you running away with the notion that
you're the only one who ever approached me with a view to finding out
how the Pollard boat runs? You claim, to be a spy for some other
government, M. Lemaire.