n goes on.
"It is necessary that I should see the honorable Mr. Lamotte. So, if you
will be so good as to admit me to Mapleton to-night, under cover of this
darkness, and contrive an interview without disturbing the other
inmates, you will greatly oblige me; but first, my two thousand dollars,
if you please."

With a sudden movement the woman flings back the cloak that has been
drawn close about her face, and strikes with her hand upon the timbers
of the boat house.

There is a crackling sound, a flash of light, and then the slow blaze of
a parlor match.

By its light they gaze upon each other, and then the man mutters a
curse.

"Miss Wardour!"

"Mr. Belknap, it is I."

[Illustration: "Mr. Belknap, it is I."]

There is a moment's silence, and then she speaks again:

"You are disappointed, Mr. Belknap; you expected to meet another, who
would pay you your price for--you know what. You will not see that other
one; she is hovering between life and death, and her delirious ravings
have revealed you in your true character. You may wonder how I have
dared thus to brave an assassin, a blackmailer. I am not reckless. If I
do not return in ten minutes, safe and sound, the boat house will be
speedily searched and you, Mr. Belknap, will be hunted as you may have
hunted others. Not long since you made terms with me, you attempted
coercion, I might say blackmail; to-night, it is in my power to bridle
your tongue, and I tell you, that, unless you leave W---- at once, you
will find yourself a resident here against your will. Consider your
business in W---- at an end. This is not a safe place for you."

With the last words on her lips, she turns and speeds swiftly back
toward Mapleton, and Jerry Belknap, private detective, stands
transfixed, gazing at the spot from which she has fled, and muttering
curses not good to hear.

He makes no attempt to follow her. He recognizes the fact that he is
baffled, and, for the time at least, defeated. Grinding out curses as he
goes, he turns his steps toward W----.

Then, from out the shadows of the boat house, a small bundle uncoils
itself, stands erect, and then moves forward as if in pursuit.

But, something else rises up from the ground, directly in the path of
this small shadow; a long, slender body displays itself, and a voice
whispers close to the ears of the smaller watcher:

"Remain here, George, and keep a close eye on the house. I will look
after _him_."

Then the shado