ever happened to us."

"Come, come gentlemen," remonstrated Schomberg, in a murmur. "This is
very wild talk!"

"And you have been used to deal with tame people, haven't you? But we
aren't tame. We once kept a whole angry town at bay for two days, and
then we got away with our plunder. It was in Venezuela. Ask Martin
here--he can tell you."

Instinctively Schomberg looked at Ricardo, who only passed the tip of
his tongue over his lips with an uncanny sort of gusto, but did not
offer to begin.

"Well, perhaps it would be a rather long story," Mr. Jones conceded
after a short silence.

"I have no desire to hear it, I am sure," said Schomberg. "This isn't
Venezuela. You wouldn't get away from here like that. But all this is
silly talk of the worst sort. Do you mean to say you would make deadly
trouble for the sake of a few guilders that you and that other"--eyeing
Ricardo suspiciously, as one would look at a strange animal--"gentleman
can win of an evening? Isn't as if my customers were a lot of rich men
with pockets full of cash. I wonder you take so much trouble and risk
for so little money."

Schomberg's argument was met by Mr. Jones's statement that one must do
something to kill time. Killing time was not forbidden. For the rest,
being in a communicative mood, Mr. Jones said languidly and in a voice
indifferent, as if issuing from a tomb, that he depended on himself, as
if the world were still one great, wild jungle without law. Martin was
something like that, too--for reasons of his own.

All these statements Ricardo confirmed by short, inhuman grins.
Schomberg lowered his eyes, for the sight of these two men intimidated
him; but he was losing patience.

"Of course, I could see at once that you were two desperate
characters--something like what you say. But what would you think if
I told you that I am pretty near as desperate as you two gentlemen?
'Here's that Schomberg has an easy time running his hotel,' people
think; and yet it seems to me I would just as soon let you rip me open
and burn the whole show as not. There!"

A low whistle was heard. It came from Ricardo, and was derisive.
Schomberg, breathing heavily, looked on the floor. He was really
desperate. Mr. Jones remained languidly sceptical.

"Tut, tut! You have a tolerable business. You are perfectly tame; you--"
He paused, then added in a tone of disgust: "You have a wife."

Schomberg tapped the floor angrily with his foot and uttered an
indis