He did not at once obey; his faculties were still so engaged with his struggle to turn her aside, and with his failure, that he scarcely heard her. “Please remove your hands!” she repeated, her voice not going up by so much as a semi-tone. His hands fell to his sides. “Despite what you say, Mr. Clifford,” she continued in the same even voice of calm decision, “I am not going to marry you, and I am going to marry Mr. Morton.” He was composed again. “Perhaps you may never marry me,” he returned grimly. “But you certainly will never marry Jack Morton.” “And why not?” “Because I shall prevent it.” “How?” “By any and whatever means seem most effective.” Her gaze sharpened. Then the red of anger faintly tinted the tawny satin of her cheek. “You mean to say you would be low enough to tell Jack or his father about me and my family?” He looked her straight in the face. “You have admitted that that procedure might be effective.” “You wouldn’t dare do that!” And she seized his arm with a grasp no less intense than his of a minute before, and glared at him. “I’ll do exactly what may be necessary, Miss Regan.” “You--you--” she gasped. “You have no right to interfere in my affairs!” “There is far more to this affair than just _You_, Miss Regan.” With an almost impersonal movement he removed her hand from his arm and let it fall. “I must be going. But do not forget for a moment that I am going to prevent your marriage, and prevent it in whatever way will be most effective.” He bowed slightly. Standing just where he had left her, she watched him go out, within her a dazed commotion of surprise, consternation, suspense--and, strangely, not quite so high an anger toward Clifford as she had felt two moments before. CHAPTER VII NINA CORDOVA Yes, he must prevent this marriage, he must block Loveman, he must find out Loveman’s plan, and he must do all quickly--but how? To warn the Mortons would achieve some of these ends; but he had a strong repugnance to this procedure. He would only play this as his last card. Clifford thought of Slant-Face; but he realized that Slant-Face would probably have no influence with his sister, and possibly the ex-pickpocket might even regard the affair from Mary’s viewpoint. Also he thought of her Uncle Joe; but the same objection held true regarding him, and also the width of the continent made him unavailable. As for Commissioner Thorne, he could not be of service in the present stage of affairs. And then Clifford thought of Uncle George. Uncle George might possibly give suggestions, for Uncle George knew as much about the pleasure life (and what lay beneath it) of Broadway and of Broadway’s closest territorial relative, Fifth Avenue between the Waldorf and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, as any other hundred men in New York put together.