"If the girl you call your sister had got away, did you mean to try to escape?"
"Certainly I did," replied I, frankly, and I told him the scheme I had formed.
"And now?"
"If I give my word I shall keep it. You Russians never seem to think a man will keep his parole to his own disadvantage. We English think differently—and act as we think."
"If we postpone this talk till to-morrow, have I your word that you'll make no attempt to escape?"
"No, indeed, you haven't. Let this girl go at once; then you can have it and welcome."
"You seem to forget that I can keep you under guard?"
"I forget nothing of the kind. Clap me into a prison and you may whistle for anyone to carry out—to do what you wish. You can decide now, or lose the option. That's in the rules of a game like this."
"You carry things with a high hand," he cried angrily.
"Most probably I shouldn't be here if I didn't," said I, with a laugh. "It's my advantage to force the pace at this juncture; and the risk's too big to throw away a single chance."