CHAPTER XVIII.

It required no great exertion of physical force to bring the boy to his knees.

The breath was almost choked from his body when Ben Mauprat released his hold.

"You cursed little imp of Satan!" he cried, his voice hoarse from rage. "I'll teach you to come here trying to impose upon me. What in thunder do you mean by it? Answer me quickly, or by Heaven! I'll strangle all the life out of your little carcass. Do you hear?"

"I will tell you!" exclaimed Miss Chandler, who had already removed the veil that covered her face. "She has come here to play the spy. She has threatened that unless I break the engagement with Lynde Pyne--which she has somehow discovered to exist--that she will make known the secret of my birth, and of my relationship to you. She is here for the purpose of getting information from you upon that subject."

"And perhaps I should have been fool enough to have said something that might have given it to her, if you had not come in just when you did. So you want to break the engagement that exists between Miss Chandler and Lynde Pyne, do you?"

Leonie did not answer.

"Don't you hear me?" he screamed.

She lifted her eyes coldly to his face.

"Yes, I heard you," she answered, bravely. "But I did not think it necessary to reply. Your daughter has told you, and I thought it useless to corroborate her words. But since it seems that you require it, I may as well tell you that I do not approve of her marriage to Mr. Pyne, and it is my determination that if such a thing is in the range of possibility, I will prevent it!"

For a moment Ben Mauprat was stupid from astonishment.

He stood with eyes and mouth both open, gazing at the girl as if her audacity must be the result of lunacy. Then he sprung forward again.

She was too quick for him, however, and before he could reach her, she had put the rickety table between them.

"Wait a minute!" cried Miss Chandler, interrupting the chase that she saw was imminent "I have not time to wait for gymnastics of that kind. Listen to me, and let us decide what is to be done. It is dangerous to allow lunatics their liberty, and that is what I think Leonie Cuyler must be. No one else would attempt the _role_ that she has essayed. I think therefore, that for the benefit of the public she should be restrained! I suggest that you keep her in confinement until after this wedding shall have taken place, then--presupposing of course that her physicians pronounce her cured--she can be released. What do you think of my plan? It seems to me to be the only safe one!"

"We should be doing a public benefit!" exclaimed Mauprat, his rage turned to mirth. "I tell you, Evelyn, you are a chip of the old block. It is a capital idea. I think while she remains here as my patient that I may be able to compensate her for the trouble she took to sell me some information."

Leonie was aghast.

"I wish you would listen to me!" she cried desperately. "I----"

"It is useless," interrupted Miss Chandler. "I am quite convinced, and nothing she could say would alter my idea, that the safest thing--the only safe plan, in fact--is to confine her until after the marriage. Then the harm that she can do will be little enough, for should she make known all the facts that are in her possession, she would hurt no one so much as the very man whom she has risked so much to save--Lynde Pyne. I am sure that you agree with me."

"I do, indeed."

"That is all that I came to see you for to-day. I feel quite relieved that I know my dear sister to be so well taken care of for the present. She has given me a great deal of concern during the last few weeks, but now my mind will be at rest. Be sure that she does not escape, and should you want to see me about anything, send the message to the old address. Do not risk coming to the house. Good-bye! Do not allow anything to happen to your precious patient."

With a mocking bow to Leonie she left the room, and Ben Mauprat turned his entire attention to Leonie.

He pointed to the door, and thinking that she saw her opportunity, Leonie bowed courteously and walked in the direction he indicated.

It led to the hall.

She had scarcely entered it, than, with a quick bound, she reached the front door.

She would undoubtedly have made good her escape, but that an unfortunate accident happened.

Some one had hold of the knob of the door from the outside, and as she pulled it from within, and some one pushed it from without, it came open with a sudden force that caused her to lose her footing, and she fell headlong.

Mauprat was upon her before she could recover herself, had caught her by the shoulder, and set her upon her feet.

His face was ghastly with rage.

"You infernal little fiend!" he panted, the oaths falling thick and fast, "I'll give you now a taste of the punishment that will come from that sort of thing if you try it in the future!"

He raised a heavy walking-stick and brought it down again and again upon the frail shoulders with terrible force.

The woman and the miserable hunchback boy who had caused the accident, stood shrinking back in the corner as far as possible, ghastly with fear, until unable to stand it longer, the woman caught the man's arm and held it in a grasp like iron.

"Stop!" she cried hoarsely, "You don't know what you are doing! She is not used to that sort of thing, and you will kill her!"

Mauprat turned to the woman with a savage growl.

He released his hold upon Leonie, who fell without a groan to the floor.

"Take what your interference warrants!" he cried, bringing the stick down with renewed force upon the body of the woman.

She took it without a moan, the boy covering his miserable face with his hands.

Finding that he could cause no outcry of pain upon her part, Mauprat turned sullenly to Leonie.

"She has fainted," he said, kicking the inert body with his foot. "Carry her up-stairs and put her in Dick's room. We'll see how she succeeds with her next attempt at escape."