For the first time a touch of fear came to her shadowy eyes, and they were veiled by a momentary look of furtiveness.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, madam, simply that you will now remain with me!"
"That is absurd!"
She noticed, for the first time, that he had put away his revolver.
"It is not absurd; it is essential. Permit me. In my native country we have a secret order which I need not name. If the secrets of this order came to be known by an individual not already a member, one of two things happened. He either became a member of the order, or he became a man who—who could impart no information!"
"And that means——?"
"It means, practically, that from this hour you are, either willing or unwilling, a partner in my activities, as you now are in my possession of certain papers. Pardon me. The penalty may seem heavy, but the case, you will understand, is exceptional. Also, the nature of your visit, and the thoroughness of your preparations"—he swept the dismantled room with his grim but mocking glance—"have already convinced me that the partnership will not be an impossible one."
"But I repeat, this is theatrical, and absurd. You cannot possibly keep me a—a prisoner here, forever!"
He looked at her, and suddenly she shrank back from his glance, white to the lips.