Page:Henry rideout--The siamese cat.djvu/237

 "I didn't know that," said Owen. "That makes it more of a puzzle than ever." He recounted briefly his dealings in Singapore. "So you see you're here for nothing."

"Interesting story and well told," admitted Borkman, smiling. "Only I don't believe a word of it. Now it's time you saw things in that other light I spoke of. Here's what may persuade you." He withdrew his hand from the table, and disclosed a black, polished object—the missing revolver. "I should regret using this, both for your sake and my own. But my affairs are at such low ebb, nothing can make them much worse. And the thing itself is a good tidy fortune. I'll give you one minute to tell where you've stowed it. Then if you are still stubborn, I'll begin firing promptly, and the odds are I'll pot you first shot. You'd best not move in the mean time."

He unhooked his watch, laid it on the table,