"Yes."
The girl had made a slip. She had given our hero a chance to hedge. She was bright and smart, but she would have been a mind-reader had she successfully parried our detective clear to the end of his diplomacy. He appeared to stop and think, and the girl asked:
"Shall I guide you?"
"I was thinking."
She exclaimed quickly:
"It is not very far. It will only take us about ten minutes."
While talking to the pretty Italian girl our hero was letting his glance wander around. He was looking for a bigger fish. The girl, meantime, raised her hand to her brow as though to recall something to her mind; as she did so Oscar observed a gem of rare value glittering on her finger, and mentally he ejaculated:
"Aha! I reckon I am getting into deep water."
"Will you go?" she asked.
"And you will guide me?"