Page:Henry rideout--The siamese cat.djvu/236

 Borkman shrugged his great shoulders, but stopped with a twitch as of pain.

"That hurt my side," he grumbled. "The thing's barely healing—So you've never seen it, eh? Naturally, that's the first light in which you'd wish to view the affair. Please consider. I've another argument to bring forward later, if necessary."

"I haven't it," repeated Owen. "You've taken your journey for nothing. I've thought either you had it or the goldsmith's clerk."

"Think again," said Borkman, satirically. "When you saw Ho Kong cutting me up there in the carriage-way, I'd just come from bribing the cat out of the servants' quarters. There wasn't light enough or time enough for me to unlock the collar or cut it off. As for the goldsmith coolie, he hopped out of those bushes and knifed me like winking. The beastly cat jumped straight out of my arms into yours. Well?"