ous mistake. He had
thought, by the detention of her confederate, to have two strings to his
bow, but one glance at the sneeringly censorious expression on the
Sheriff's face convinced him that no information would be forthcoming
from the woman while in her present rebellious mood.

"All right, my lady," he said, for the time being yielding to her will,
"have your way." And turning now to the Mexican, he added none too
gently:

"Here you, get out!"

Whereupon the Mexican slunk out of the room.

"There's no use of your getting into a rage," went on Ashby, turning to
the woman in a slightly conciliatory manner. "I calculated that the
greaser would be in on the job, too."

All through this scene Rance had been sitting back in his chair chewing
his cigar in contemptuous silence, while his face wore a look of languid
insolence, a fact which, apparently, did not disturb the woman in the
least, for she ignored him completely.

"It was well for you, Senor Ashby, that you let him go. I tell you
frankly that in another moment I should have gone." And now throwing
back her mantilla she took out a cigarette from a dainty, little case
and lit it and coolly blew a cloud of smoke in Rance's face, saying: "It
depends on how you treat me--you, Mr. Jack Rance, as well as Senor
Ashby--whether we come to terms or not. Perhaps I had better go away
anyway," she concluded with a shrug of admirably simulated indifference.

This time Ashby sat perfectly still. It was not difficult to perceive
that her anger was decreasing with every word that she uttered; nor did
he fail to note how fluently she spoke English, a slight Spanish accent
giving added charm to her wonderfully soft and musical voice. How
gloriously beautiful, he told himself, she looked as she stood there,
voluptuous, compelling, alluring, the expression that had been almost
diabolical, gradually fading from her face. Was it possible, he asked
himself, that all this loveliness was soiled forever? He felt that there
was something pitiful in the fact that the woman standing before him
represented negotiable property which could be purchased by any
passer-by who had a few more nuggets in his possession than his
neighbour; and, perhaps, because of his knowledge of the piteous history
of this former belle of Monterey he put a little more consideration into
the voice that said:

"All right, Nina, we'll get down to business. What have you to say to
us?"

By this time Nina's pass