“But he is a strong man, this Hogarth. Why do you object to the assistance of the police?” “What have the police to do with such a matter? Hogarth would simply bribe. And there are three of us--” “Who is this Harris?” “He is a Cockney--assassin”. Frankl took snuff, with busy pats at alternate nostrils. “What will you tell him is in the bag?” “Anything--rings--something prized by you for sentimental reasons. We offer him a thousand--two thousand pounds. And he will not fail. He strikes like lightning”. “And we share--how?” “Come--let us not talk of that again, sir. What could be more generous than my offer? You divide the diamonds into two heaps, and I choose one; or I divide, you choose; and, before I leave you, you give me a declaration that it was by your contrivance that I escaped prison, and that the gems which I have, once yours, are duly made over to me”. “And you collar half!” gibed the Jew with an ogle of guile; “that's about as cool a stroke of business as I've come across. You don't take into account that the whole is mine, if the concern fell, as you confess, on my own land! And just ask yourself the question: what is to prevent me handing you over this minute to the police, and grabbing the lot? Only I'm not that sort of man--” O'Hara drew a revolver. “You talk to me as though I was a schoolboy, sir”, said he sternly. “Be good enough to learn to respect me. I am not less a man of the world than you are, and quite competent to safeguard my own interests. Supposing I was weak enough to permit you to send for the police, the moment they had me I should tell of Hogarth in hiding; they would go for him, and he, after bribing, may be trusted to take wing with the stones, leaving you whistling. Or perhaps you would care to tackle him in person? He would wheel you by the beard round his arm like a Catherine-wheel, I do assure you. All this you see well, and pretend not to. Do let us be honest with each other!” “Well, I don't want to be hard”, said Frankl, looking sideward and downward, plotting behind an unwrinkled brow, intending to have every one of the diamonds; so did O'Hara, who already had his plot. “No, don't be hard”, said O'Hara: “_I_ am not. I give you an incalculable fortune; I take the same. Live and let live! Why should two shrewd old fellows like you and me be like the dog which, wanting two bones, lost the one he had? Come, now--give me your hand on it”. “Well, I'm hanged if you are not right!” cried Frankl, looking up with discovery: “Share and share alike, and shame the devil! That's the kind of little man I am, frank, bluff, and stalwart--Ha! ha! Give me your hand on it, sir!” “Ha! ha! you are very kind. That is the only way--absolute sincerity--” and they shook hands, hob-nobbing and fraternizing, with laughs and little nods, like cronies. “Stop--I'll just ring for a drop of brandy--” said Frankl. “No! no ringing!--thanks, thanks, no brandy--”