d as you are to yours, in her way. She'll do what I
want. But the question is Will _you_?"

For a moment I did not speak. Then I asked, "What do you want?"

"Only a very little thing," he said. "To live and let live, that's all.
Don't you try to queer my pitch, and I won't queer yours."

"What is your pitch?" I asked.

He laughed. "You're very non-committal, aren't you? But I like your
pluck. You've never once admitted by word or look that you're caught.
All the same, you know you are. You can't hurt me, and I can hurt you.
Your word wouldn't stand against my proofs, if you put up a fight. You'd
go down--and your brother with you. Oh, I don't think he's in it! The
minute I saw his face I was sure he wasn't; and I guessed from yours
that what you'd done was mostly or all for him. Now, dear Miss O'Malley,
you know where you are with me. Isn't that enough for you? Can't you
just be wise and promise to let me alone on my 'pitch,' whatever it is?"

"I won't have Mr. and Mrs. Beckett made fools of in any way."

He burst out laughing. "That's good--from _you_! I give you leave to
watch over their interests, if you let me take care of mine. Is it a
bargain?"

I did not answer. I was thinking--thinking furiously, when the landlord
came to the door to put out the lights.

O'Farrell sprang to his feet. "We're ready to go. We can leave the room
free, can't we, Miss O'Malley?" he said in French.

Somehow, I found myself getting up, and fading out of the room as if I'd
been hypnotized. I walked straight to the foot of the stairs, then
turned at bay to deliver some ultimatum--I scarcely knew what. But
O'Farrell had cleverly accomplished a vanishing act, and there was
nothing left for me to do save go to my own room.

CHAPTER XI

Thinking things over in the night, I decided to wait until after
breakfast before making up my mind to anything irrevocable. Breakfast
being the appointed rendezvous, O'Farrell would then lay his cards on
the table. If he slipped some up his sleeve, I must make it my business
to spot the trick and its meaning for the Becketts.

As I offered this sop to my conscience, I could almost hear O'Farrell
saying, with one of his young laughs, "That's right. Set a thief to
catch a thief!"

At ten o'clock we were to start for Nancy via Commercy, so there would
be little time to reflect, and to act on top of reflection; but my
strait being desperate, I resolved to trust to luck; and to be first on