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Rh do not wish to tempt you, Monsieur Clamart, nor shall I offer you a cent of money as inducement; but I am going to appeal to your sense of obligation to me and offer you the means of extricating yourself from your difficult position. I have a job on hand which would be practically impossible to a bungler, but presents no difficulties to the expert. Moreover, the loss will fall upon a rich and dishonest organisation. If you will undertake this one bit of work and are able to carry it off successfully, I will promise never to call upon you again, and I will give you my assurance"—his face grew hard as flint—"that you need have no further cause to be on your guard against Chu-Chu le Tondeur. And that part of my compact would be a real pleasure to carry out."

The cold, deadly hate streamed out of Ivan's burning eyes as he said these last words; and, let me tell you, my friend, I had no fear of his not "making good" on that part of the contract. For the first time I realised how Ivan loathed and hated the Shearer; but it showed me, also, how badly the chief must be crowded, hating Chu-Chu as he did, to put up with him.

Well, here was the proposition, as cold and square as a flagstone in a prison yard. I could take it or I could leave it. If I took it I broke my word to Edith—and what did that matter, when she would live and die thinking that I had broken it anyway? If I left it there was Chu-Chu—and the thought of him didn't bother me any, because, after all, he wasn't much more than a bloodthirsty animal, with an animal's cunning—and Ivan.