“Wait a minute, chief.  There’s one thing we all got to get straight.  Somebody had tipped off Donnegan about our whole plan.  Was it the Pedlar or Rix or me?  I guess good sense’ll tell a man that it wasn’t none of us, eh?  Then who was it?  The only other person that knew about the plan—­Nell—­Nell, the crooked witch—­and it’s her that murdered the Pedlar—­curse her!”

He thrust out his bulky arm as he spoke.

“Her that lied her way into our confidence with a lot of talk about you, Nick.  Then what did she do?  She goes runnin’ to the gent that she said she hated.  Don’t you see her play?  She makes fools of us—­she makes a fool out of you!”

She dared not meet the glance of Lord Nick.  Even now she might have acted out her part and filled in with lies, but she was totally unnerved.

“Get Rix to bed,” was all he said, and he did not even glance at Nelly Lebrun.

Masters glowered at him, and then silently obeyed, lifting Joe as a helpless bulk, for the fat man was nearly fainting with pain.  Not until they had gone and he had closed the door after them and upon the murmurs of the servants in the hall did Lord Nick turn to Nelly.

“Is it true?” he asked shortly.

Between relief and terror her mind was whirling.

“Is what true?”

“You haven’t even sense enough to lie, Nell, eh?  It’s all true, then?  And last night, after you’d wormed it out of Joe, you went to Donnegan?”

She could only stare miserably at him.

“And that was why you pushed me away when I kissed you a little while ago?”

Once more she was dumb.  But she was beginning to be afraid.  Not for herself, but for Donnegan.

“Nell, I told you I’d never let another man come between us again.  I meant it.  I know you’re treacherous now; but that doesn’t keep me from wanting you.  It’s Donnegan again—­Donnegan still?  Nell, you’ve killed him.  As sure as if your own finger pulled the trigger when I shoot him.  He’s a dead one, and you’ve done it!”

If words would only come!  But her throat was stiff and cold and aching.  She could not speak.

“You’ve done more than kill him,” said Lord Nick.  “You’ve put a curse on me as well.  And afterward I’m going to even up with you.  You hear me?  Nell, when I shoot Donnegan I’m doing a thing worse than if he was a girl—­or a baby.  You can’t understand that; I don’t want you to know.  But some time when you’re happy again and you’re through grieving for Donnegan, I’ll tell you the truth and make your heart black for the rest of your life.”

Still words would not come.  She strove to cling to him and stop him, but he cast her away with a single gesture and strode out the door.

42

There was no crowd to block the hill at this second meeting of Donnegan and Lord Nick.  There was a blank stretch of brown hillside with the wind whispering stealthily through the dead grass when Lord Nick thrust open the door of Donnegan’s shack and entered.