She made a gesture with her hands, almost impudent, altogether evasive. "You see me," she said. "Am I not alone?"
With a slight shrug Dexter gave up his efforts to extract information from her. Whoever she might be, she was a resolute, quick-witted young woman, and apparently she was ready to go to any lengths to prevent his finding out more about her than she wanted him to know. He bore her no malice. She had a right to preserve her secrets if she could. It was the business of the Minister of Justice to coerce unwilling witnesses, and the corporal, for his part, had no intention of browbeating any girl.
"I should have warned you," he said presently.
"Warned me?" she asked, her head held high. "What about?"
"The police are supposed to caution prospective prisoners against too much talking." He smiled dryly, and reached into his pocket for pipe and tobacco pouch. "I must advise you not to say anything incriminating."
"What—what do you mean?" she gasped.
Dexter looked absent-mindedly at his pipe, seemed to have forgotten what he meant to do with it, and returned it to his pocket. "You will come with me," he said mildly. "In the name of His Majesty the King, I arrest you."
CHAPTER IX
GO GET 'EM!
The north wind rattled among the dry branches of the brookside junipers, but for a space of ten seconds no other sound broke the straining silence that had fallen upon them. The girl stood motionless, gazing vacantly at Dexter, finding nothing whatever to say.