"Hum," said La Liberté with a slight sniff, as she closed the door and passed toward the centre of the room. Edmé slowly revolved on her heel, keeping her face toward La Liberté, and her left hand behind her back.
"What are you trying to hide there?" demanded La Liberté quickly, whose bright brown eyes took in every motion of Edmé.
"I have nothing to hide."
La Liberté's glance went from Edmé to the warrants on the table, and then back to Edmé's face again.
"You are hiding something behind your back," persisted La Liberté, trying to obtain a peep at it by making a circle around Edmé. Edmé continued to turn, always keeping her face toward La Liberté.
The latter stopped. "I will see what you have there," she declared with a toss of her head, her curiosity aroused to the burning point.
"You shall not. It does not concern you," was the firm reply.
For an instant each looked into the other's eyes in silence. Both breathed defiance; both were equally determined.
Then with a tigerlike spring La Liberté dashed forward, seized Edmé about the waist with one arm, while she endeavored to secure the parchment with her other hand. Edmé quickly passed the document into her right hand, bringing it forward high above her head. With the same cat-like agility, La Liberté sprang for it on the other side and managed to get hold of it by one corner. There was a short struggle; a tearing of paper, and each held a piece of the document in her hand.
"A warrant!" exclaimed La Liberté, darting back a few paces and shaking out the piece of paper in her hand. "You have been tampering with these," she added quickly, putting one hand upon the pile of documents on the table.