THE WINDOW OF THE SPHINX
Defiance was declared between; Carron was glad the battle was to be in the open. It would be sooner ended.
"You promised me a good deal more than that, you know," he said.
"I know, but I didn't mean to tell you anything. I didn't know what I was saying or doing. I—I—was hard up!" he gulped.
"Yes," Carron said, and kept his hand on the man's arm soothingly, as he would upon the halter of a nervous horse. "But you did, you see, and you might as well go along now and tell me the rest of it."
"I won't have anything more to do with you, I tell you!" Ferrier said excitedly. "Look here, didn't I set you on the trail all right? Didn't I tell you where to go and who knew about—"
Carron interrupted. "I know, you told me the story. You described the horse; you said you had seen it; you made a bargain with me and fulfilled only a part of it; and I am here waiting for you to complete it."
Ferrier started. "Why, but I sent you here because she—"
"Understand me," Carron said distinctly, "this is a matter of business between men, between you
and me. I know of no one who has this information
167
