“I repeat that I firmly believe it. To prove to you that I am disposed to trust you, I tell you without reserve, that we propose to extort the secret, whatever it may be, from the fears of this man Monks. But if—if—” said the gentleman, “he cannot be secured, or, if secured, cannot be acted upon as we wish, you must deliver up the Jew.” “Fagin!” cried the girl, recoiling. “That man must be delivered up by you,” said the gentleman. “I will not do it—I will never do it,” replied the girl. “Devil that he is, and worse than devil as he has been to me, I will never do that.” “You will not?” said the gentleman, who seemed fully prepared for this answer. “Never!” returned the girl. “Tell me why?” “For one reason,” rejoined the girl firmly, “for one reason, that the lady knows and will stand by me in, I know she will, for I have her promise; and for this other reason besides, that, bad life as he has led, I have led a bad life too; there are many of us who have kept the same courses together, and I’ll not turn upon them, who might—any of them—have turned upon me, but didn’t, bad as they are.” “Then,” said the gentleman quickly, as if this had been the point he had been aiming to attain—“put Monks into my hands, and leave him to me to deal with.” “What if he turns against the others?” “I promise you that in that case, if the truth is forced from him, there the matter will rest; there must be circumstances in Oliver’s little history which it would be painful to drag before the public eye, and if the truth is once elicited, they shall go scot free.” “And if it is not?” suggested the girl. “Then,” pursued the gentleman, “this Jew shall not be brought to justice without your consent. In such a case I could show you reasons, I think, which would induce you to yield it.” “Have I the lady’s promise for that?” asked the girl eagerly. “You have,” replied Rose. “My true and faithful pledge.” “Monks would never learn how you knew what you do?” said the girl, after a short pause. “Never,” replied the gentleman. “The intelligence should be so brought to bear upon him, that he could never even guess.” “I have been a liar, and among liars from a little child,” said the girl after another interval of silence, “but I will take your words.”