“It’s neither a jest nor an insult,” said Sponley. “It’s business. Of course, if you’re squeamish about looking through a file of papers marked ‘private,’ you can look through the other collateral first. You may find what you want there; but if you don’t, I guess you’ll have to see the job through.” “That’s ridiculous. It’s not to be considered for a moment There’s no good talking any further about it.” “It won’t be so difficult as it sounds,” Sponley continued evenly. “Bagsbury keeps all that sort of thing in the cabinet that stands in his office all day. It’s never locked. They take it into one of the vaults just before they lock up at night, but you’ll have nearly an hour after he’s gone home when the way will be clear. It’ll take a little management, but it won’t be difficult.” “Look here,” said Curtin, “I will not hear any more. You’ve said rather too much as it is. What you suggest is outrageously, infernally insulting, and--” “There’s no use in talking big,” Sponley cut in. “The job may be unpleasant, but you’ve got to do it.” “I won’t do it,” Curtin almost shouted. Then more quietly: “If your own delicate sense of honor doesn’t tell you that it’s an insult to a gentleman to ask him to sneak and spy or perhaps crack a safe, why, you’ll have to take my word for it. But I don’t want anything more to do with you. I won’t stay in a position where I’m liable to that sort of damned insolence. You’d better leave my house at once. Do you understand me?” Sponley laughed. The opportunity with such a man comes when the pendulum has swung back, when the brave, hot wrath has burned out of him. Sponley did not try to pacify Curtin. Curtin wished to be angry, did he? Well, he should be just as angry as he pleased. “If you choose to call yourself a spy, nobody will take the trouble to deny it,” he said; “but you don’t gain anything by it. You must understand that this is exactly what I hired you for; not at all to be assistant cashier at the bank. You are in my employ; I may tell you to crack a safe for me sometime, and when I do, you’ll do it.” “I may have been in your employ, as you say, up to five minutes ago, but I’m not now. Is that clear? You’ve made a mistake, that’s all. You’ve hired the wrong kind of man.” “I think not,” said Sponley, smiling; “you are just the right kind of a man. You see, you’re not exactly independent. You’ve been spending a good deal of money lately; Mrs. Curtin has entertained a good deal--” “You damned impertinent--” “Ah! there you make your mistake. That is the only thing that is really pertinent at all. It’s just a question of money.” Curtin grinned; he was trying to adopt Sponley’s tactics. “It seems to me,” he said (why would not the words come evenly?), “it seems to me that there I have as good a hold on you as you have on me. Your part in this business will hardly bear daylight.”