The girl tore the ring from her finger and flung it on the table. I
made a move as though to push back my chair.
"I wouldn't do it, sir," warned William quietly.
My muscles relaxed.
"Do not commit any rash action, Mr. Comstalk," said the girl, smiling
bravely into my eyes. "This gentleman would not appreciate it."
The master rogue picked up the ring and rolled it lovingly about his
palms.
"Beautiful, beautiful!" he murmured. "Finest pigeon-blood, too. It is
easily worth a thousand. Shall I give you my note of exchange for
it?"--humorously. The girl scorned to reply. He took out a little
chamois bag and emptied its contents on the table. How they sparkled,
scintillated, glowed; thousands in the whitest of stones! How he ever
had got his fingers on them is something I shall never learn. "Aren't
they just beautiful?" he asked naïvely. "Can you blame me for coveting
them?" He set the ruby on top of the glittering heap. It lay there
like a drop of blood. Presently he caught it up and--presented it to
the girl, who eyed him in astonishment. "I only wanted to look at it,"
he said courteously. "I like your grit as much as I admire your
beauty. Keep the ring."
She slipped it mechanically over her finger.
"But you, my dear Mr. Comstalk!" he cried, turning his shining eyes
upon me, while his fingers deftly replaced the gems in the bag.
"I have no jewelry," I replied, tossing aside the cigarette.
"But you have something infinitely better. I am rather observant. In
Friard's curio-shop you carelessly exhibited a wallet that was simply
choking to death with long yellow-boys. You have it still. Will you
do me the honor?"--stretching out his slim white hand.
I looked at William; he nodded. There wasn't the slightest chance for
me to argue. So I drew out my wallet. I extracted the gold-bills and
made a neat little packet of them. It hurt, hurt like the deuce, to
part with them. But--!
"Game, William, isn't he? Most men would have flung the wallet at my
head."
"Oh, he is game, sir; never you doubt it, sir," said the amiable
William.
"I have some silver in change," I suggested with some bitterness.
"Far be it that I should touch silver," he said generously, did this
rogue. "Besides, you will need something to pay for this little supper
and the fare back to New York." My bills disappeared into his pocket.
"You will observe that I trust you implicitly. I haven't even counted
the money."