From the pocket of his coat Verplank had taken the revolver. He looked at it, looked at her, replaced it.
“I am a trifle interested in the matter myself. Besides, there are other weapons than the foil. If I can shoot pigeons--and I believe I can--I ought to be able to land a buzzard.”
At sight of the revolver Leilah had winced. Now she cried:
Verplank, amused at her simplicity, smiled.
“In the States I did not need to. Here, in Paris, particularly at night, the streets are seldom sure. I have this thing for protection.”
But as he looked, suddenly she started and he saw that she was trembling.
Trembling still, peeringly now she had turned to the portières.
Uncertainly, her head drawn back as a deer’s is when surprised, she glanced about her. Slowly then her eyes returned to his.
She motioned at the room. “Before you came there seemed to be something here, something around me and just now----”
With an intake of the breath she raised a finger and for a moment both were silent.
“There is no one,” he presently told her. “And what if there were!”
The laugh, succeeding the silence, while intended to reassure her, did not wholly succeed. She turned to him anew and in a low voice, said:
“You must go. To-morrow come to Violet’s.”
“Yes, I know. Tell her that to-morrow, say at three, we will both be with her. Then she can tell us----”
But Verplank had drawn her to him. Again her eyes closed.
On the sofa was his hat. He reached for it. While he did so, she moved to the tapestry, raised it, disclosing the stair up which he had come.
“To-morrow, then,” he said, as he entered there.
Dropping the tapestry she turned, but very quickly, for again she heard or thought she heard a noise.
Across the room the portières were parting. Through them Barouffski appeared.
“I might have known it,” she told herself, and realising that he had been listening, she realised also that the opportunity was as good as another for making an offer which she had in mind.
These ideas, instantaneous at sight of him, were for the moment stayed. On turning she had seen but the man. Now hastening toward her was a creature with an expression so venomous that instinctively, in search of help, with the idea of calling to Verplank, she turned to the tapestry again.