The enterprise. [volume] (Harlem, Mont.) 1899-1926, 1912-06-06
| ners~ Pardon me, pray, but-but
trust your nose is convalescing?"

I ners- Pardon me, l pray, but-but
trust your nose is convalescing?"
In high feather with himself
O'Rourke entertained his companion
with running fire of pleasantries TO
the balance Of the darkened hours
And he touched both more than ono
with the rapier-point Of his wit an,
irony, and had the pleasure Of seeing
both squirm in impotent rage. The,
cut wretched figures. two against one
yet failures, while he tainted them IL
one breath, with the next declared
himself their captive. Toward the enc
the reserve which the vicomte i'm
posed upon the Honorable BERTHE was
worn down: the Englishman turned
with raw nerves upon his tormentor
You damned asst" he stammered
all but incoherent. you sit there
and-and gloat. damn you! When all
the time we've got the upper hand!'
BE quiet!" interposed the vicomte
II wont!" ragged the honorable. "He
thinks himself so Internally clever!
What 'dyou say, you Irish braggart, II
l told you you'd never see the Pool
Of Flame again."
I'D say" returned O'Rourke, "that
you were either lying or fool. In
either case fool. II. as We seem to
be trying to make me believe-which
I don't for one instant-ye have sue
ceeded in stealing the Pool OF Flame,
I'll hunt the pair Of We to the ends of
the earth, If need be-"
He eyed them reflectively during a
moment or two made interesting by
Glynn's desperate attempts to blurt
out indiscretions against the prohibit
ton of the vicomte: something which
the older man enforced crudely by
clapping his hand across the English
mans mouth, as we'll as by whisper
ing savagely in his ear.
But there'll be no need" continued
the Irishman, when Glynn was calm.
Lets consider the matter dispassion-
ately, presupposing that We have the
stone Well, what then? Ye dare not
attempt to sell it-'twould result in
instant detection. It would not pay
We to have 1t secretly cut up into
smaller stones-the loss in value
would be stupendous, the whole not
worth your while, as say. Ye can
not take the Pool of Flame (don't get
excited: I'm not going to tell ye
where) to claim the reward, for ye
don't know where to go. IT'S white
elephant It would be on your hands,"
1T does not seem to strike mon
sieur that there are other ways of
finding out who offers the reward"
the vicomte suggested icily.
Il can see ye wandering around ask
ing somebody please to relieve We OF
the Pool Of Flame and pay ye COM
mission. wonder how long We think
ye'd last. But It's no use trying to
hoodwink me: don't believe one
word We say. I'll wait until find out
the truth before I bother meself with
ye."
Their persistence in limiting that
they had gained possession Of the
ruby perplexed and discounted him.
He did not believe 1t; twas incon-
ceivable: yet-he had known stranger
things to happen. Still, without
clue, to have stumbled upon the sc.
cret, to have made off with it from
under the very nose of the Governor
General! No; it was not reason.
able to ask him to believe all that.
Nevertheless, when he arrived at
Algiers, his anxiety had grown so
overpowering that he called cab and
desired to be conveyed post-haste to
the Palace de la Government.