WITH a bound she took her stand. She was white as death and greatly excited. Watching her curiously¹, the crafty² villain³ noted⁴ the quick throbbing⁵ of her throat and the feverish⁶ grip on the pistol.
 
"Time is galloping," he remarked.
 
She gave a gasp⁷, opened her lips and essayed to sing. An awful, indescribable murmur⁸ was all that could be heard. Stiffening⁹ herself, she resolutely¹⁰ calmed down her agitation¹¹ and tried again. The result was but little better than before. Turning with a cry, she looked with horror-stricken eyes into the unmoved, slightly sardonic¹² face of the man behind her.
 
"I cannot sing! You have frightened away my voice. I cannot raise that note even to save my father's life. I'm choking, choking." Then as she caught the devilish gleam lighting¹³ up his eye, she added, "You will never have those thousands! The safe is closed to us both."
 
He laughed, a very low, cautious laugh, but it made her eyes distend¹⁴ with uncertainty¹⁵ and dread¹⁶.
 
"You fail to do justice to my fore-*thought," said he.
 
"I took this into my calculations. I know women; they can be wicked enough, but they lack coolness. Let me see now what I can do. I cannot sing, but I have a little aide de camp which can."
 
Walking away from her, he approached a small table on which stood an object she had never seen in that[125] room before. It was covered with a cloth, and as he removed this cloth, she reeled with surprise; then she became still with hope and the rush of fresh and overpowering emotions.
 
A graphophone stood revealed, one of the finest quality. It was set to play the air so often on her lips, and in another moment that keen, high note rang through the room,&............