"By merely bringing him face to face with you."
"Par dieu! A charming proposition! How do I know that you will not, in pretending to betray him to me, really betray me to him? Suppose you do bring him face to face with me, and his men are all around?"
"Only one of his men shall be present," I said, thinking of Blaise. "He will not come without this one man. As for the others of his band, not one shall be within a league."
"Himself and one man," said De Berquin, musingly. "That is to say, two very able fighters."
"There are five of you."
"But this Tournoire is doubtless worth three men in a fight, and his man will probably be worth two more. I don't think your offer sufficiently attractive. I think I would do better to kill you. Certainly, there are many reasons why you should die. If you should escape me now, as you are one of La Tournoire's people, you would immediately go to him and tell him of my presence here. I do not choose that he shall know as much about me as you do."
"Can you suggest any amendment to my offer, so that it might be more attractive?"
"If you could bring La Tournoire unarmed—"
"I will do that," I said.
De Berquin looked at me steadily for some time. At last he shook his head and said: