opened by force, and it will save you an
indefinite amount of physical discomfort.
Surely you will see that it is absurd
to refuse.”
The other twisted impotently in his chair.
There was a trickle of blood running down his arm where one of the
clamps which held him had cut into the flesh.
“You devil! Is this what you did to
Weissmann?”
“That was not necessary. The egregious
Emilio—you remem ber Emilio?—was careless enough to kill him. Weissmann
had actually reached Innsbruck when the police waylaid him. He was
rescued, curiously enough, by a young friend of mine—an Englishman
who used to be extremely clever. Fortunately for us, his powers are
declining very early in life, and it was a comparatively simple matter for me
to retrieve your property. You should visit my young friend one day—you will
find that you have much in common. When a once brilliant man is passing
into his second childhood, it must be a great relief to be able to
exchange sympathy with another who is undergoing the same unenviable
experience.”
The prisoner leaned forward rigidly.
“One day,” he said huskily, “I
will make you sneer with an other face. One day when you have learned that
the old fox can
still be the master of the young jackal——”
Prince Rudolf snapped his fingers.
“These ‘one days,’ my friend! How often
have I listened to prophecies of what the cheated fox would do ‘one day’! And
it is a day which never comes. No, Herr Krauss—let us confine ourselves
to the present, which is so much less speculative. You have been very useful
to me—unwittingly, I know; but I ap preciate your kindness just the same.
I appreciate it so much that the most superficial courtesy on your
part would induce me to let you leave this castle alive—after you have
performed me this one service. I could even forget your threats and
in sults, which have done me no great harm. I have no profound desire to
injure you. Your dead body would only be an encumbrance; and even the mild form
of persuasion which you have compelled me to apply does not amuse me—the noise you make is so distressing. So let us have no more
delays. Do what I ask you—— ”
“Du — du
Schweinhund!” The tortured man’s voice rose to a tremulous whine.
“You will have to wait longer than this—— ”
“My dear Herr Krauss, I have already
waited long enough. Your plot to obtain the contents of this box was known to
me three months ago. At first I was annoyed. I regret to say that for a time
I even contemplated the advantages of your meet ing with a fatal
accident. And then I devised this infinitely better scheme. Since
we both coveted the same prize, I would retire gracefully. You
should have the field to yourself. Your own renowned cunning and audacity
should pull the chestnuts out of the fire. It was sufficient for me to stand back and admire your workmanship. And then, when your
organization had obtained the prize, and it had been successfully smuggled
across Europe to where you were waiting to receive it—when all the work had been done and all the risks had been
survived—why, then it would be quite early enough for any accidents to
happen. That was the plan I adopted, and it has been rewarded as it deserved to be.” The prince removed the
cigarette holder from his mouth and tapped the ash from it with an
elegant forefinger. “Only one obstacle
now detains us: the secret of the combination
which keeps our prize inside this rather cumber some box which I really
do not require. And that secret, I am sure,
you will not hesitate to share with me.”
“Never!” gasped the man in the
opposite chair throatily. “I would die first—— ”
“On the contrary,” said the prince
calmly, “you would not die till afterwards. But that eventuality need not
concern us. In order to refresh your memory, we will let Fritz turn
the little screw again.”
He signed to the man who stood behind the
other’s chair, and leaned back at his ease,
indefinite amount of physical discomfort.
Surely you will see that it is absurd
to refuse.”
The other twisted impotently in his chair.
There was a trickle of blood running down his arm where one of the
clamps which held him had cut into the flesh.
“You devil! Is this what you did to
Weissmann?”
“That was not necessary. The egregious
Emilio—you remem ber Emilio?—was careless enough to kill him. Weissmann
had actually reached Innsbruck when the police waylaid him. He was
rescued, curiously enough, by a young friend of mine—an Englishman
who used to be extremely clever. Fortunately for us, his powers are
declining very early in life, and it was a comparatively simple matter for me
to retrieve your property. You should visit my young friend one day—you will
find that you have much in common. When a once brilliant man is passing
into his second childhood, it must be a great relief to be able to
exchange sympathy with another who is undergoing the same unenviable
experience.”
The prisoner leaned forward rigidly.
“One day,” he said huskily, “I
will make you sneer with an other face. One day when you have learned that
the old fox can
still be the master of the young jackal——”
Prince Rudolf snapped his fingers.
“These ‘one days,’ my friend! How often
have I listened to prophecies of what the cheated fox would do ‘one day’! And
it is a day which never comes. No, Herr Krauss—let us confine ourselves
to the present, which is so much less speculative. You have been very useful
to me—unwittingly, I know; but I ap preciate your kindness just the same.
I appreciate it so much that the most superficial courtesy on your
part would induce me to let you leave this castle alive—after you have
performed me this one service. I could even forget your threats and
in sults, which have done me no great harm. I have no profound desire to
injure you. Your dead body would only be an encumbrance; and even the mild form
of persuasion which you have compelled me to apply does not amuse me—the noise you make is so distressing. So let us have no more
delays. Do what I ask you—— ”
“Du — du
Schweinhund!” The tortured man’s voice rose to a tremulous whine.
“You will have to wait longer than this—— ”
“My dear Herr Krauss, I have already
waited long enough. Your plot to obtain the contents of this box was known to
me three months ago. At first I was annoyed. I regret to say that for a time
I even contemplated the advantages of your meet ing with a fatal
accident. And then I devised this infinitely better scheme. Since
we both coveted the same prize, I would retire gracefully. You
should have the field to yourself. Your own renowned cunning and audacity
should pull the chestnuts out of the fire. It was sufficient for me to stand back and admire your workmanship. And then, when your
organization had obtained the prize, and it had been successfully smuggled
across Europe to where you were waiting to receive it—when all the work had been done and all the risks had been
survived—why, then it would be quite early enough for any accidents to
happen. That was the plan I adopted, and it has been rewarded as it deserved to be.” The prince removed the
cigarette holder from his mouth and tapped the ash from it with an
elegant forefinger. “Only one obstacle
now detains us: the secret of the combination
which keeps our prize inside this rather cumber some box which I really
do not require. And that secret, I am sure,
you will not hesitate to share with me.”
“Never!” gasped the man in the
opposite chair throatily. “I would die first—— ”
“On the contrary,” said the prince
calmly, “you would not die till afterwards. But that eventuality need not
concern us. In order to refresh your memory, we will let Fritz turn
the little screw again.”
He signed to the man who stood behind the
other’s chair, and leaned back at his ease,
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