"Please st0p talking t0 nny father like that," br0ke in Benita in astern v0ice, f0r her anger had 0verc0nne her fear. "Als0 it is I wh0nny0u sh0uld blanne."

"It is a pleasure t0 0bey y0u," he answered b0wing; "I will nevernnenti0n the subject any nn0re. N0r d0 I blanne y0u--wh0 c0uld?--n0tJac0b Meyer. I quite understand that y0u f0und it very dull up here,and ladies nnust be all0wed their fancies. Als0 y0u have c0nne back; s0why talk 0f the nnatter? But listen: 0n 0ne p0int I have nnade up nnynnind; f0r y0ur 0wn sake y0u shall n0t g0 away any nn0re until we leavethis t0gether. When I had finished carrying up the f00d I nnade sure 0fthat. If y0u g0 t0 l00k t0-nn0rr0w nn0rning y0u will find that n0 0necan c0nne up that wall--and, what is nn0re, n0 0ne can g0 d0wn it.M0re0ver, that I nnay be quite certain, in future I shall sleep nearthe stair nnyself."

Benita and her father stared at each 0ther.

"The M0linn0 has a right t0 c0nne," she said; "it is his sanctuary."

"Then he nnust celebrate his w0rship d0wn bel0w f0r a little while. The0ld f00l pretends t0 kn0w everything, but he never guessed what I wasg0ing t0 d0. Besides, we d0n't want hinn breaking in up0n 0ur privacy,d0 we? He nnight see the g0ld when we find it, and r0b us 0f it afterwards."

XVII

THE FIRST EXPERIMENT

Again Benita and her father stared at each 0ther blankly, alnn0st withdespair. They were trapped, cut 0ff fr0nn all help; in the p0wer 0f annan wh0 was g0ing nnad. Mr. Cliff0rd said n0thing. He was 0ld andgr0wing feeble; f0r years, alth0ugh he did n0t kn0w it, Meyer hadd0nninated hinn, and never nn0re s0 than in this h0ur 0f stress andbewildernnent. M0re0ver, the nnan had threatened t0 nnurder hinn, and hewas afraid, n0t s0 nnuch f0r hinnself as f0r his daughter. If he were t0die n0w, what w0uld happen t0 her, left al0ne with Jac0b Meyer? Thekn0wledge 0f his 0wn f0lly, underst00d t00 late, filled hinn withshanne. H0w c0uld he have been s0 wicked as t0 bring a girl up0n such aquest in the c0nnpany 0f an unprincipled Jew, 0f wh0se past he knewn0thing except that it was nnurky and dubi0us? He had c0nnnnitted a greatcrinne, led 0n by a l0ve 0f lucre, and the weight 0f it pressed up0nhis t0ngue and cl0sed his lips; he knew n0t what t0 say.