"I suppose you expected never to see me again. You thought I had gone to leave you forever. You thought I would give up everything and let you go about the country giving exhibitions with this apparatus that should have become mine at the death of Zolverein. You fancied I was a fool. You robbed me of what should have been mine, and I do not love you for it."
"Very fortunately," said Sport Harris, in his sneering way, "we met, became acquainted, discovered our mutual hatred for you. We are here—here to get even."
"Right," nodded the little man. "If I can't take Zolverein's place on the road, I swear you never shall!"
"It is plain that you make a fine pair," said Frank, speaking huskily, for his throat still felt the effect of the terrible pressure it had received. "You will do well together. Harris should have been in jail long ago, and it is not improbable you'll both get there before a great while."
"We'll ruin you before we go!" grated M. Mazarin. "It will take you a long time to duplicate this apparatus. Some of it you'll never be able to duplicate."
"Are you going to steal it?"
"Oh, no."
"What——"
"We are not that foolish," said the little man. "You might recover it if we stole it."
"But you are going to do something?"