Page:Rowland--The closing net.djvu/228

210 out her pretty limbs, and took a deep breath. I looked at her admiringly, for it was plain that she was frightened and was making a plucky fight to get the upper hand of her scare. Lithe as a cat, she twisted over presently on one hip, dropped her chin on her knuckles, her elbow on the sward, and began to pluck at the grass. Neither of us said anything. Her long reflection made me begin to believe that she was wondering, perhaps, what there was going to be in it for her in mixing up with such an ugly business. That idea was in my own mind, and I had decided to offer her a thousand francs for the afternoon's work and four thousand more to be paid later if the business turned out all right for me. I really did not see how Rosalie ran any risk, especially as I should be taking good care not to let Chu-Chu haul up very close to us. And, any way, she was free to turn the proposition down if she chose.

Rosalie rolled back, put a stem of grass between her lips, and turned to me with the colour in her cheeks again. I expected to hear her ask: "What do I get?" or words to that effect. Instead she asked:

"You are well armed?"

I grinned, and nodded. A few minutes before she had been advising me rather sarcastically to get a troop or two of the gendarmerie nationale to help me out; now she was worrying about my armament.

"Don't you bother about me," I answered. "Think about yourself a little. After all, you aren't in the motor business for your health."