t as well ask me for the crown of
England."

"Look here," he said, putting out his hand towards her, but she shrank
from his touch--the touch of a hand stained with the blood of Richard
Harborne.

"No. I won't hurt you," he laughed, believing that she stood in fear of
him. "I want nothing but the cash-money. I'll call at Monplaisir this
evening for it. By Jove!" he added. "That's a nice, comfortable house
of yours. You've been very happy there, both of you, I suppose--eh?"

"Yes," she sighed. His threat to call at the villa held her appalled.
She saw no way to appease this man, who was now bent upon her ruin. The
present, with all its happiness, had faded from her and the future was
only a grey vista of grief and despair.

"You know quite well," he went on, "that when you tell me that you can't
get money, I don't believe you. You surely aren't going to stand by and
see your husband starve, are you? I've had cursed bad luck of late. A
year ago I was rich, but to-day I'm broke again--utterly broke, and,
moreover, the police are looking for me. That's why I want to get away
to America--with your help."

"But don't I say I can't help you?" she protested. "Ah!" she exclaimed,
a second later. "You can have my brooch--here it is," and she proceeded
to take it from the breast of her white gown.

"Bah! What's the good of that to me?" he laughed. "No. Keep it--why, it
isn't worth more than fifty pounds! You surely don't think I'm going to
let you have your affectionate letter for that sum, do you?"

"I've got nothing else."

"But you have at home," he urged. "What other jewels have you got?"

"Nothing of great value here. The Bracondale jewels are at Bracondale,"
she replied slowly, after a few seconds' deliberation. "I have nothing
much here, except----"

And she drew herself up short.

"Except what?" he asked sharply.

"Nothing."

"Oh, yes, you have," he said, in a hard voice. "Now tell me. What have
you got of real value?"

"I tell you I have nothing."

"That's a lie," he declared. "You've got something you don't want to
part with--something you value very much."

She was silent and stood there pale and trembling before him. He saw her
hesitation, and knew that his allegation was the truth.

"Come, out with it! I mustn't stay here any longer. We shall be seen,"
he said. "What have you got?"

She bit her blanched lip.

"My pearls," she replied in a voice scarcely above a whisper.

"What pearls?"

"M