"Not for me. Disappointment I admit is mine; but not for the loss I sustain. In the presence of the master I am content to stand humbly to one side, as befits one of my lowly state in--in the ranks of our profession. I resign, I abdicate in your favor; claiming nothing by right of priority." "You are too generous," he mumbled, confused by her thinly veiled ridicule. "Not at all," she replied briskly. "I am entirely serious. My loss of to-day will prove my gain, tomorrow. I look for incalculable benefit through study of your methods. My own, I confess," with a contemptuous toss of her head toward the burglar's kit, "are clumsy, antiquated, out of date.... But then, I'm only an amateur." "Oh, but a woman----" he began to apologize on her behalf. "Oh, but a woman!" she rapped out smartly. "I wish you to understand that this woman, at least, is no mean----" And she hesitated. "Thief?" he supplied crudely. "Yes, thief! We're two of a feather, at that." "True enough.... But you were first in the field; I fail to see why I should reap any reward for tardiness. The spoils must be yours." It was a test: Maitland watched her keenly, fascinated by the subtlety of the game. "But I refuse, Mr. Anisty--positively refuse to go to work while you stand aside and--and laugh." Pride! He stared, openly amazed, at this bewilderingly feminine bundle of inconsistencies. With each facet of her character discovered to him, minute by minute, the study of her became to him the more engrossing. He drew nearer, eyes speculative. "I will agree," he said slowly, "to crack the safe, but upon conditions." She drew back imperceptibly, amused, but asserting her dignity. "Yes?" she led him on, though in no accent of encouragement. "Back there, in the river," he drawled deliberately, forcing the pace, "I found you--beautiful." She flushed, lip curling. "And, back there, in the river, I thought you--a gentleman!" "Although a burglar?" "A gentleman for all that!" "I promise you I mean no harm," he prefaced. "But don't you see how I am putting myself in your power? Every moment you know me better, while I have not yet even looked into your face with the light full upon it. Honor among thieves, little woman!" She chose to ignore the intimate note in his voice. "You're wasting time," she hinted crisply. "I am aware of that fact. Permit me to remind you that you are helping me to waste it. I will not go ahead until I have seen your face. It is simply an ordinary precaution." "Oh, if it's a matter of business----" "Self-preservation," he corrected with magnificent gravity.