Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 134: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

290 vited the young man suddenly. ‘‘ We’ve got a spare room. It might be arranged—” _ He rose urgently. His face was no longer pallid, but flushed, and his eyes were shining with repressed excitement. He lurked restlessly while Mr. Chedworth set- tled his bill and gave largess to the waiter. Three minutes later the young man and Mr. Chedworth quitted the restaurant. “Sure it won’t inconvenience you, me coming round this time of day?” asked Mr. Chedworth. The young man laughed wildly, incom- prehensibly. Contrary to Mr. Chedworth’s expecta- tion, it was to quite a shabby little by- street in the neighborhood that the young man led him. “Oh, it’s all right—you’re quite safe, he exclaimed, perceiving his companion’s surprise. ‘‘ Poor, but honest. We’ve got the top floor over this shop.” He pushed open a door and led Mr. Chedworth up flight after flight of dark stairways. “In here,” he directed, and took Mr. Chedworth into a front room which, though small, was furnished with admirable taste and richness, The young man glanced quickly about the apartment. | “My wife must have gone out,” he observed. ‘So much the better.” Mr. Chedworth noticed the tone of re- lief, and idly attributed it to a notion that Mrs. Young Man must evidently be rather of the formidable pattern of Mrs. Ched- worth. ‘Sit down,” invited his host, indicating a comfortable armchair; and Mr. Ched- worth sank luxuriously into its broad depths. The young man went to a bureau and stood sidewise to Mr. Chedworth while he fumbled something from a drawer into his pocket. Then, seating himself opposite his guest, he regarded him inscrutably for a full half minute. “About that room?” prompted Mr. Chedworth uneasily at last. “That was only the bait,” said the young man. “Eh?” ejaculated Mr. Chedworth. 9 ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. The young man, going over to the door, locked it and put the key in his pocket. ‘ Here,” said Mr. Chedworth, half rising with a ludicrous expression of alarm on his mild little visage. ‘“ Listen!” ordered the young man. “I want eighty pounds; and you’ve got to lend it to me—or give it to me. I don’t care which. I’ve got to have it, and I’m going to have it!” Mr. Chedworth gaped helplessly at him. ‘I’m desperate,” declared the young man.” “Tt -warn you!” = ** He drew a small, shining revolver from his pocket. “Are you going to give it to me without any trouble, or—” ‘“ Don’t—don’t be so ridiculous,” gasped Mr. Chedworth. “Let me go! I ain’t going to—” ‘““[’m going to have it—eighty pounds! I’ve got to have it. And you’ve got two hundred!” “IT won’t! It’s—it’s robbery!” Mr. Chedworth was terribly frightened, but money had always been so tremendous- ly important a thing to him that the yield- ing up of a sum like eighty pounds was such an inconceivable demand that blank amazement overshadowed even his fears. “Robbery?” said the young man. ‘ Rather late in the day for you to quibble about robbery, isn’t it?” | “Robbery, it is!’ insisted Mr. Ched- orth. ‘Tl go to the police! I shall—” The young man laughed in loud, mirth- less scorn. “Oh, of course you'll go to the police,” he sneered. “ That’s likely, isn’t it? Don’t bluff, man—don’t bluff!” “‘J—I ain’t bluffing,” denied Mr. Ched. worth unsteadily. “ T’ll go straight to ’em and tell ’°em how you—” “Oh, no, you won’t—you won’t risk that! What about your own little affair— that two hundred pounds? Wasn’t that a robbery, eh? Do you think I can’t put two and two together?” “What do you mean?” quavered Mr. Chedworth. ‘It’s honestly mine. I—” “Honestly? Why, man, you’ve given yourself away over and over again to me! A man like you with all that money on y (C(O) Piicboolks (e(0) im