"I would not hesitate a moment--you know that, Peter--only that I see the difficulties in the way more plainly than you do," said the cautious Haidee. "Difficulties--now that is the way with women, the silly geese," snorted Peter in angry contempt. "They always make mountains of mole-hills! What difficulties can you see, I wonder." "How could we account to Pratt and Colville for her disappearance?" answered she. "Easily enough; I have told you that twenty times before, old dunder-head! Say that she has escaped from us again." "They would not believe it when they know that we both guard the door--they would not believe such a tale in the face of our united strength," returned she, rather shortly. "Say that I was ill--say that I was drunk--or that I fell down in a fit before the door, and while you were assisting me she rushed past and escaped. Say anything you please to account for it--only tell them that she has given us the slip. They cannot help but believe it, knowing that she has made two desperate attempts before." "That is true," she admitted; "still, when they find the body has been returned to the banker, and the ransom paid, what will they think then?" "They will think that some designing person has palmed off a spurious body on them at first, and before they learn better we can be off and away to another city, Haidee. It all seems so plain and easy to me I wonder why you hang back so." "My God! this is horrible," breathed poor Lily to herself, but a dreadful fascination held her immovable to her post. "And then, the body itself," pursued Haidee. "It would have the look of one lately dead. How could we account to her friends for that? Remember, she is supposed to be dead these five months." "Haidee, you are an old fool! You are getting into your dotage--what silly questions you ask, to be sure," panted the old man, in a furious rage with his hesitating wife. "Oh, yes, I hear all that. But you have not answered my question yet," returned she, pertinaciously. "I have answered it twenty times before--every time that we talked the matter over. We can say that we had it embalmed so that her friends might make sure of her identity when we claimed the ransom." The old witch sat silently pondering a few minutes. "Perhaps that would do," she said, rousing herself at last. "It may be that I am over cautious; I confess that I wish the girl dead." "You consent then?" said Peter eagerly. "Yes, I consent," she answered, with a ring of fierce joy in her unwomanly tones. "Now that's my sensible wife," said Peter, transported with joy. "I thought you would come to your senses after a while. Well, since you _are_ willing I say the sooner the better." "Yes, the sooner the better," his wife repeated after him. "Let it be to-night then," suggested Peter, who did not want to give Haidee's cautious fears any time to change her resolution. He believed in the old adage: "Strike while the iron is hot."