"I have locked him in, that he may not escape."
The ladies put their heads together in close consultation.
"You deal too tenderly with him, Mrs. Struvelius," whispered Laura. "Offer him money. That will allure him. It is hard for me to say so, but I know the Knips family--they are selfish."
"I also have thought of that, for an extreme case," replied Mrs. Struvelius, "only I did not wish to hurt him by such an offer, if there were any manly feeling in him."
"Pshaw!" exclaimed Laura, "he is not a man, he is only a coward. If at first he refuses, offer him more. Here is my pocket-book; I beg of you to take it."
She ran to her writing-table and fetched out the embroidered purse.
"I thank you from my heart," whispered Mrs. Struvelius, taking out her purse from her pocket. "If there is only sufficient," she said, anxiously drawing the strings. "Let us see quickly how much we have."
"God forbid!" cried Laura, hastily. "It is full of gold."
"I have turned everything that I could into money," replied Mrs. Struvelius hurriedly; "everything else is of little value."
Ilse took the purses out of the hands of both ladies and said firmly: