"Verisschenzko!" laughed Harietta, "why, I hardly know him; he don't amount to a row of pins! He's Stanislass' friend--not mine." Then she smoothed back Hans' rather fierce, fair moustache from his lips and kissed him again--her ruby ring flashing in a ray of sunlight. "Look! isn't this a lovely jewel, Hans! My old Stannie gave it to me only some days ago--it is my new toy--see--" Hans examined it: "Thou art a creature of the devil, Harietta, there is not one of thy evil qualities of greed and extortion which I do not know. Thou liest to me and to all men--the only good thing in thee is thy body--and for that all men let thee lie." Harietta pouted. "I can't understand when you talk like that, Hans--it's all warbash, as we said out West. What are qualities? What is there but the body anyway? Great sakes! that's enough for me, and the devil is only in story books to frighten children--I'm just like every other woman and I want to have a good time." "I hear that you are going to London soon," said Hans, dropping the tutoyage and growing brutally severe, "to conquer new lovers and to wear more dresses? But there you will be of great use to me. Your instructions will be all ready in cypher by Tuesday night, when you must meet me at whatever point is convenient to you, after nine o'clock--here, perhaps?" Harietta frowned--she had other views for Tuesday night. "What shall I gain by coming, or by going on with this spying on Stan? I'm tired of it all; it breaks my head trying to take in your horrid old cypher. I don't think I'll do it any more." The Prussian's face grew livid and his mouth set like an iron spring. He looked at her straight between the eyes, as a lion tamer might have done, and he took a cane from where it laid on a bureau near. "Until you are black and blue, I will beat you, woman," he said, "as I have done before--if you fail us in a single thing--and do not think we are powerless! It shall be that you are exposed and degraded, and so lose your game. Now tell me, will you go on?" Harietta crouched in fear, just animal, physical fear--she had felt that stick, it was a nightmare to her, as it might have been to a child. She knew that Hans would keep his word. His physical strength had been one of the things she had adored in him--but to be degraded and exposed, as well as beaten, touched her sensibilities, after all the trouble she had taken to become a lady of the world! This was too much. No! Tiresome as all these old papers were, she would have to go on--but since he threatened her she would pay him out! The Russian should have papers as well! And so there was good in all things, since now material advantage would come from both sides. Was it not right that you looked to yourself, especially when menaced with a stick? She laughed softly; this was humorous and she could appreciate such kind of humour. Hans crushed her in his arms. "Answer!" he ordered gutturally. "Answer, you fiend!"