assed me I stopped him.

"Louis," I said, "let me ask you this. Presuming things remain as they
are, and I act independently, do you intend to prevent my seeing Miss
Delora?"

"It is nothing to do with me," Louis lied. "It is the wish of her
uncle."

"Thank you!" I answered. "I wanted to know."

I finished my luncheon. Louis saw me preparing to depart and came up
to me. My table was set in a somewhat obscure corner, and we were
practically alone.

"I will ask you a question, Louis," I said. "There is no reason why
you should not answer it. There are laws from a legal point of view,
and laws from a moral point. From the former, I realize that I am, at
this moment, a criminal--possibly, as you say, in your power. Let that
pass. What I want you to tell me is this,--the undertaking in which
Mr. Delora is now engaged, is it from a legal point of view a criminal
one, or is it merely a matter needing secrecy from other reasons?"

Louis stood thoughtfully silent for some few moments.

"Monsieur," he said at last, "I will not hide the truth from you.
According to the law in this country Mr. Delora is engaged in a
conspiracy."

"Political?" I asked.

"No!" Louis answered. "A conspiracy which is to make him and all
others who are concerned in it wealthy for life."

"But the Deloras are already rich," I remarked.

"Our friend," Louis said, "has speculated. He has lost large sums.
Besides, he loves adventures. What shall you answer, Captain
Rotherby?"

"It is war, Louis," I said. "You should know that. If I have to pay
the penalty for taking the law into my hands over the man Tapilow, I
am ready to answer at any time. As for you and Delora, and the others
of you, whoever they may be, it will be war with you also, if you
will. I intend, for the sake of the little girl upstairs, to solve all
this mystery, to take her away from it if I can."

Louis' eyes had narrowed. The look in his face was almost enough to
make one afraid.

"It is a pity," he said. "Even if you had chosen to remain neutral--"

"I should not do that unless I could see as much of Miss Delora as I
chose," I interrupted.

"If that were arranged," Louis said slowly,--"mind, I make no
promises,--but I say if that were arranged, would it be understood
between us that you stopped your search for Mr. Delora, and abandoned
all your inquiries?"

"No, Louis," I answered, "unless I were convinced that Miss Delora
herself was implicated in these things. Th