“I love her?” said Donnegan in an indescribably tender voice.  “I love her?  Who am I to love her?  A thief, a man-killer, a miserable play actor, a gambler, a drunkard.  I love her?  Bah!”

If there was one quality of the mind with which Lord Nick was less familiar than with all others, it was humbleness of spirit.  He now abased his magnificent head, and resting his chin in the mighty palm of his hand, he stared with astonishment and commiseration into the face of Donnegan.  He seemed to be learning new things every moment about his brother.

“Leave me out of the question,” said Donnegan.

“Can’t be done.  If I leave you out, dear boy, there’s not one of them that I care a hang about; I’d ride roughshod over the whole lot.  I’ve done it before to better men than these!”

“Then you’ll change, I know.  This is the fact of the matter.  She loves Landis.  And if you take Landis away where will you put him?”

“Where he was stolen away.  In Lebrun’s.”

“And what will be in Lebrun’s?”

“Joe Rix to guard him and the old negress to nurse him."’

“No, no!  Nelly Lebrun will be there!”

“Eh?  Are you glancing at her, now?”

“Henry, you yourself know that Landis is mad about that girl.”

“Oh, she’s flirted a bit with him.  Turned the fool’s head.  He’ll come out of it safe.  She won’t break his heart.  I’ve seen her work on others!”

He chuckled at the memory.

“What do I care about Landis?” said Donnegan with unutterable scorn.  “It’s the girl.  You’ll break her heart, Henry; and if you do I’ll never forgive you.”

“Steady, lad.  This is a good deal like a threat.”

“No, no, no!  Not a threat, heaven knows!”

“By heaven!” exclaimed Lord Nick.  “I begin to be irritated to see you stick on a silly point like this.  Listen to me, lad.  Do you mean to say that you are making all! this trouble about a slip of a girl?”

“The heart of a girl,” said Donnegan calmly.

“Let Landis go; then take her in your arms and kiss her worries away.  I warrant you can do it!  I gather from Nell that you’re not tongue-tied around women!”

“I?” echoed Donnegan, turning pale.  “Don’t jest at this, Henry.  I’m as serious as death.  She’s the type of woman made to love one man, and one man only.  Landis may be common as dirt; but she doesn’t see it.  She’s fastened her heart on him.  I looked in on her a little while ago.  She turned white when she saw me.  I brought Landis to her, but she hates me because I had to shoot him down.”

“Garry,” said the big man with a twinkle in his eye, “you’re in love!”

It shook Donnegan to the core, but he replied instantly; “If I were in love, don’t you suppose that I would have shot to kill when I met Landis?”

At this his brother blinked, frowned, and shook his head.  The point was apparently plain to him and wiped out his previous convictions.  Also, it eased his mind.