“Now I will talk direct.”
“Do!”
“You have what I want.”
“Still you continue to waste words, for you told me that once before.”
“Well, monsieur, I tell you so again!” came rather sharply from the Strangler, his suavity beginning to break down before the coolness of the young American. “You have what I want. I led you here to obtain it from you.”
“You have been to considerable trouble.”
“And I am not to be baffled!”
“You may promise yourself that as much as you like, but you must seek no such assurance from me.”
“I promise you that! As truly as that door is closed, you shall not leave this room till it is delivered to me! On it the fate of a good man depends, and I must have it! Why attempt to baffle the efforts of justice by seeking to keep it?”
“Why attempt to deceive me, Monsieur Strangler? You are not the friend of justice, but of something quite different. There is no reason why I should deliver anything into your hands.”