le and Grand Tableau--virtuous indignation--the faithful servant
asserting his dignity as a man. There was a hitch here somewhere; the
scene-shifter was hardly up to his work, so that it was rather a
failure.

"I have told you twice, sir, that I do not know any thing about it. I
beg you will not insult me with more questions. You have no right to do
so; I am neither in your service nor Mr. Livingstone's now."

Mohun bent his bushy brows in some perplexity. After all, he had not a
shadow of proof, though he felt a moral certainty. His sheet-anchor was
the avarice of the scoundrel he was dealing with, and this seemed to
fail. Evidently a strong counter-influence had been at work.

"Curse her!" he muttered between his clenched teeth, "she has been here
before me."

Then he looked up suddenly, and what he saw caused the shallow cup of
his patience at once to overflow.

In Willis's eyes was an ill-repressed twinkle of exultation and
amusement, and on his thin lips the dawning of an actual sneer. It was
but seldom the trained satellite allowed himself the luxury of betraying
any natural feeling. In truth, he chose his time badly for its
exhibition now. Before he could collect himself so as to utter a cry, he
lay upon his back on the carpet, a heavy foot on his chest; and the
colonel was gazing down on him with a fell murderous expression, that
made the victim's blood run cold.

"By G--d!" Mohun said, in the smothered tones of concentrated passion,
"if you trifle with me ten seconds longer--if you open your lips except
to answer my question, I'll crush your breast-bone in."

Willis knew the desperate character of the man who held him in his
power; it was no vain threat he had just heard; the pressure on his
chest was agonizing already.

"For God's sake don't murder me!" he gasped out; "I--I gave it to Miss
Bellasys."

"Of course you did," Mohun said, coolly; "I knew it all along. Now get
up, and write that down."

He spurned away the fallen man as he spoke till he rolled over and over
on the floor.

There is nothing which disconcerts a nature long used to obey like a
sudden brutal _coup de main_. Remember the Scythians and their slaves.
The rebels met their masters boldly enough on a fair field with sword
and spear, but they cowered before the crack of the horsewhips.

All the spider-webs of the unfortunate Willis's diplomacy were utterly
swept away; his powers of thought and volition were concentrated now on
o