asked Nora, sharply.

"Do you so ask?" Bohlmier's tone was one of astonishment. "Is it
possible? There is one supject only which we can talk about Is it not
so? One supject. Yes?"

"I thought I told your friend all I had to say about that," said the
girl.

"Ach! no! It is not true." If he had been able to see the old rascal,
Scanlon was sure his head would be wagging and a mild smile would be
upon his face. "You told him so--yes. But it is not true. Much more have
you to say. Blenty more. And you will say it to me, eh? Now!"

The vision Bat had in his mind became more and more clear; not only
would the bald head be moving from side to side, but it would be thrust
forward in the deadly snake-like motion which the big athlete had seen
once before. And the smile? He had never seen one like that which his
ear told him Bohlmier's would be--a mild, quizzical smile which was a
habit of the muscles only, and through which a pair of eyes gleamed with
devilish purpose.

"Has he got me nervous, or something?" Bat asked himself. "Or do I call
the turn on him right?"

"My friend," proceeded the old Swiss, "is a chentleman much ezberienced
in certain things. In others he has not so much exberience as that," and
the listener heard him snap his fingers, sharply. "Not so much as that!
And so he let you go without some understandings."

Bat heard Nora laugh. It was not a pleasant laugh; nevertheless it
caused a thrill of pleasure to shoot through him.

"Good!" he thought. "She has her nerve with her. He hasn't scared her
even a little bit."

"Perhaps," said Nora, to Bohlmier, "you have the experience he lacked?"

"I haf the handling of many affairs had," came the voice of the Swiss,
smoothly. "And from the first I asked for this one; for I knew, dear
lady, I could the resulds get."

"You mean you thought you could frighten me where he failed." Again Nora
laughed. "You have confidence." Then with a note of curiosity in her
voice: "What would you have done?"

A sudden sharp movement came from outside the rose arbor; Bat heard the
hissing of Bohlmier's breath and a sharp cry from Nora. A diminished
light ray, unseen in any other way, was caught upon the uplifted blade
of a knife; then Bat drove his arms through the frail trellis work; with
the left hand he gripped the arm of the Swiss and twisted it wickedly.
The knife was heard to strike against the side of the arbor as it fell.
Bat's right hand, at the same instant, slipped