“Wait. Don’t go off half cocked.”
“What is the condition?”
“I’ll return the diamonds, I’ll forget, as long as I live, that I ever saw Nan Nightingale in my life—provided you’ll go away from here and forget that such a person as Jimmy Duryea ever existed.”
For a moment the detective stared at Jimmy; then he laughed shortly.
“Have you so small an opinion of me as that, Duryea?” he asked. “Do you suppose that I would permit a man like you to ruin the life of that girl, as you would do, if she became your wife?”
“I wouldn’t ruin it; I would make her happy. I would——”
“That’s enough of that. Do you know, I have more than half a notion to call your bluff about your being able to prove yourself to be a Dinwiddie, and take you in right now?”
“Try it on, if you think it will work, Carter.”
Nick started to his feet as if he intended to do so. He was more than half inclined to do it, and probably might have done so, had it not been that at that moment he heard voices, as if persons were approaching the summerhouse.
He stepped quickly to the vine-shaded doorway, and looked out.