As he lifted it to read he saw that the pretended Mrs. Ansel had recovered consciousness, and was sitting upright on the sofa. As soon as she saw Nick had observed her, she began to play her part. “Oh, my husband!” she cried; “be merciful. I know appearances are against me, but you are mistaken. I have done no wrong. Listen to reason. This is not a lover. It is Mr. Carter, the great detective.” “I care not who he is,” cried the other, in a great pretense of fury. “You met him by appointment. I watched you send the letter. I saw him meet you. I tracked you here. I saw you in his arms. I have witnesses. Sign you, sir!” It was very cheap acting, but through it all Nick had read the paper, and saw that it was an effort to make him compromise himself by signing it. “I shall sign nothing of this kind!” he said, quietly. “You won’t. You won’t give me justice!” cried the man, in a very tempest of fury. “I won’t sign this ridiculous document,” said Nick, “for it is not true.” “Then I will take action at once. You must stay here. What, ho, my friends!” Three men, thorough ruffians, looking like dissipated prize-fighters, appeared. “You will watch this man until I return. I go for my lawyer and a magistrate. Hold this man until I return. Come with me, you faithless woman!” He sprang at the pretended Mrs. Ansel, and, seizing her by the arm, whirled her out of the room. CHAPTER X. HOW THE TRAP WAS SPRUNG. Nick sat down and laughed. The over-acting of the cheap actor, hired for the occasion, was ludicrous. But the three ruffians, armed with revolvers, were ugly facts. He now saw the game. The trap had been sprung. It was a device to get him under control while the big strike on Mountain was being worked. Either the Brown Robin feared he had been retained by Mr. Mountain, or she had learned, despite his efforts to the contrary, that he really had been. “Well,” he said, looking at the three brutes, “what is your game?” “To keep you here all day,” replied one of them. “Oh, is it?” asked Nick. “What has become of the woman that was here?” “She has gone out with her husband.” “Oh, drop that, my lads,” said Nick. “That was the Brown Robin. I knew that when I came in here with her.” The three men grinned, and one said to the other: “I told her she couldn’t fool him.” “I suppose you mean to earn your money by keeping me here?” said Nick. “Yer right, guv-ner.” “Well, I don’t know that I can blame you,” said Nick, “but I want to know for sure that the woman is gone.” “She’s gone, all right.” “Well, take me through the house, and let me be certain.” “There can’t be any harm in that,” said one. “Go ahead quietly, me and Smithy’ll go behind.” Thus escorted, Nick went through and made sure the Brown Robin had fled the house. After all, it was a vulgar trap which had been laid for him.