"Five thousand."
"Six!" he insisted.
So much was at stake that Leah yielded. She could afford to do so, with fifty thousand a year in prospect. "Six, then--to be paid when you leave prison."
"Huh! An' when might that be?"
"How should I know?" said Lady Jim, crossly, for the strain on her nerves was great. "Ask some lawyer."
"Blackmail an' conspiracy," murmured Strange, reflectively. "Sounds like a few years of oakum-pickin', don't it? Not as I intend to give my opinion on these British gaols. Sing-sing's good enough fur me."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Never you mind, ma'am. But if the dollars ain't planked down----"
"They will be. Can't you trust me, man?"
"I guess not. You're what I call a holy terror, an' no mistake. Firmingham, y' said--Firmingham." He nodded. "I've nailed it."