two briefly
remained standing.

He arrived in time to overhear only a few words, however, of which he
could make nothing bearing upon the diamond robbery, or relating to the
Kilgore gang.

"Pshaw! You are entirely wrong, Sanetta," Venner was expostulating, with
voice lowered. "Your eyes have deceived you."

The woman replied through her teeth, with a hiss like that of a snake.

"My eyes deceived me? Never! You lie! I know what I see!" she fiercely
answered, with but a slight foreign accent.

"You are wrong, Cervera," protested Venner. "I--"

"I am not! I see--and I know!"

"But--"

"_Caramba!_ I say you shall go with me!"

"Why, certainly, if you wish it. Am I not here for that?"

"You know that I wish it--and you shall go."

"Whenever you are ready, Sanetta," replied Venner. "Yet your infernal--"

"Silence! You shall wait here till I have changed my suit. Then we will
go--we will go together. You shall wait here."

"Go and make the change, then," said Venner, bluntly. "I will be here
when you return."

"H'm!" thought Chick, as he heard Cervera move quickly away. "Evidently
there is something amiss between them, but what the dickens is it?"

Still watching, he soon saw Cervera return in her street attire, when
Venner quickly gave her his arm, and they departed by the stairs leading
to the stage door.

Chick immediately recalled Nick's instructions--that the couple should
now be left to him.

CHAPTER VI.

A SHOT IN THE DARK.

It was nearly eleven o'clock when Rufus Venner and Cervera, the latter
enveloped in a voluminous black cloak, emerged from the stage door of
the theater.

As they made their way through the paved area leading out to the side
street, where a carriage was awaiting them, a sturdy, roughly clad
fellow in a red wig and croppy beard suddenly slouched out of a gloomy
corner near the stage stairway and followed them, with movements as
stealthy and silent as those of a cat.

As the carriage containing Venner and the dancer rapidly whirled away,
this rough fellow darted swiftly across the street, and approached a
waiting cab, the door of which stood open.

"After them, Patsy!" he softly cried, as he sprang in and closed the
door.

The driver of the cab was one of Nick Carter's youthful yet exceedingly
clever assistants, and the rough fellow was Nick himself.

He had left the theater the moment Cervera concluded her performance,
and since had completed a perfect disgui