She laughed, instantly assuming an attitude of defiance.
"Bah!" she said. "You bring me here into this room to make this absurd and unfounded charge! You dare not say it before my friends. They would thrash you as if you were a mongrel of the streets!"
His cheeks were pale, but there was a fierce and resolute expression upon his countenance. The woman whom I had believed he loved was, it seemed, his bitterest enemy.
"I have not the slightest wish to bring upon you any greater exposure or disgrace than that which must inevitably come," he said coolly. "For months I have been waiting for this opportunity, and by means of the cipher fortunately discovered your return. I was then enabled to give the police some highly interesting information."
"The police!" she gasped, her face instantly blanched to the lips. "You have told them?"
"Yes," he responded, gazing steadily upon her, "I have told them."
"Then let me pass," she said hoarsely, making towards the door.
But in a moment he had barred her passage, then raised a small whistle quickly to his lips, and blew it shrilly.
"So this is your revenge! I was warned of this from Brussels!" she cried, turning upon him with a murderous light in her eyes. But almost before the words had left her mouth there were sounds of scuffling and shouting, a smashing of glass, and loud imprecations. The whistle had raised the alarm, and the police had entered the place, and were preventing the egress of the players.
Outside, in the corridor, there were several fierce scrimmages, but next instant the door opened, and there entered three detectives—of whom one was the wizen-faced little man who had betrayed such an interest in myself when at the Grand Café—accompanied by old Mr. Keppel, and the woman who had been my travelling companion in the wagon-lit. Certainly the arrangements perfected by the police in order that their raid upon the private gaming establishment might be successful in all respects had been elaborately prepared, for at the signal given by Ernest the coup was instantaneously effected, and the players, nearly all of whom were persons known as criminals, fell back entrapped and dismayed.