It was a last-minute hunch with him--to settle the matter
peaceably. We started up here to get his wife. You understand, to _get_
her, and settle the matter with you in a different way from the one
we're using now. You hit the word when you said 'isolation.' What a damn
fool a man can make of himself over a pretty face! Think of it--half a
million dollars!"
"It sounds unreal," mused Alan, keeping his face to the window. "Why
should he offer so much?"
"You must keep the stipulation in mind, Holt. That is an important part
of the deal. You are to keep your mouth shut. Buying the range at a
normal price wouldn't guarantee it. But when you accept a sum like that,
you're a partner in the other end of the transaction, and your health
depends upon keeping the matter quiet. Simple enough, isn't it?"
Alan turned back to the table. His face was pale. He tried to keep smoke
in front of his eyes. "Of course, I don't suppose he'd allow Mrs. Graham
to escape back to the States--where she might do a little upsetting on
her own account?"
"He isn't throwing the money away," replied Rossland significantly.
"She would remain here indefinitely?"
"Indefinitely."
"Probably never would return."
"Strange how squarely you hit the nail on the head! Why should she
return? The world believes she is dead.
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