“Pooh,” said he. “I wouldn’t give five cents for that girl’s chance of life if you two got your hands upon her. Poor little thing, she is too pretty to be with men like you.” He crossed his legs and puffed out smoke from a vile-smelling cigar. “Don’t get too personal, young fellow,” said the Jew, “but there, there, Benson, I’ll leave you with this young degenerate. Young fellow, if you had made a finish of the job you began fifteen years ago, you would not be in the position you are in now, and we would be able to hold our heads up with the best of them.” “Well, now all you have to do is to twist the girl’s neck like this,” and the villain screwed his fingers deftly around, “and then we three could be rich.” He squinted his eye to one side as he said this, and the Jew gave a great gasp. “You’ve got a nerve, young fellow, that exceeds anything I have ever seen. Now then, I’ll leave you to settle with Benson.” All this time George Benson said nothing, but was looking curiously at the miniature man. Jim Farren was of under size, with a brutal-looking face. After the Jew had gone the escaped convict looked his question and Benson said suddenly: “Don’t you think you’ve a good nerve to come here and ask to get a certain sum of money you did not earn? If you had not interfered with our arrangements fifteen years ago and helped that sailor to escape you would have been all right now. He would still have been serving a sentence and the girl would be dead. You had better go away.” “I’ve been seeing my Cousin Biddy,” said the man, thinking to gain time. “Well, you had better leave this house, and don’t come around whining to me. If you had had any sense you would have kept that Arkwright from my heels. I dare not take a step for fear he will hound me.” The man looked again sharply at Benson. “I suppose you mean that you cannot kill the girl without it being found out?” “Hush, wretch, you talk too loud.” “I am thinking my voice will be heard outside this wall if something isn’t done soon,” replied Jim. “Oh, you do, do you? You are trying to threaten me, are you? Well, don’t do that, for it won’t work.” “Oh, won’t it? Well, we will see. Now then, are youse going to give me that money?” “No.” “Not one cent?” “No, not even a half a cent, and if you try anything we will send you up for the rest of your term.” “Listen, Mr. Benson. Some folks situated like I am ain’t any too particular how they live when they don’t have no money. I don’t know but as I’d lief be at Blackwell’s as here in the city, but maybe I rather be there if I could get even with men what has done me an injustice.” Benson’s face had grown white to his ears, and he had no hold upon his temper. He rose suddenly to his feet, and Jim, thinking it best to get out, ran into the hall. There he met Biddy sailing down the stairs. This woman had improved herself a great deal since coming in a mansion to live, and she eyed her cousin with great scorn.