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286 nor did he act like one. He listened to me with attention and seeming respect. He even appeared moved. Oh, I know now what a hypocrite he was; I know that he was laughing at me; that he was planning something deeper, more villainous. I had brought twelve hundred dollars with me,—all that we could gather together at the moment,—and I pressed it upon him, urging him to take it and go away and we would send him more. He pretended to refuse the money, to protest that that was not in the least what he wanted, but I compelled him to take it. And just as I was hoping that I had prevailed with him, the door of the bedroom opened and a horrible drunken man staggered out.

“‘Well, Vic,’ he cried, ‘so this is th’ gal, is it? She’s a likely piece. I wouldn’t give her up, Vic, no, not fer ten thousand’

“‘Go back to bed, you drunken brute!’ cried Tremaine, and took him roughly by the arm.

“But the other shook him off.

“‘Don’t lay your hands on me, Vic!’ he cried. ‘Don’t dare lay your hands on me!’

“I saw a very devil spring into Tremaine’s face. He looked about him for some weapon, and picked up a piece of pipe that lay beside the radiator. Thompson saw the action and lurched heavily toward him.

“‘Goin’ t’ use that on me, Vic?’ he asked. ‘You’d better try it,’ and he made a pass at Tremaine and tried to snatch the pipe away. ‘You try it on an’ I’ll blow your game like I did once before down at Sydney.’