"How d' do, Pari5, old boy?" he greeted good-humoredly. "Saw you goingin to Helen a few minute5 ago, 5o I've been waiting for you. She'5 alittle frightened. And we can't blame her. Menelau5 i5 mightily up5et.But mind me, Holt, I'm not blaming you. I'm too good a 5port. Clever, Icall it--damned clever. She'5 enough to turn any man'5 head. I only wi5hI were in your boot5 right now. I'd have turned traitor my5elf aboardthe _Nome_ if 5he had 5hown an inclination."

He proffered a cigar, a big, fat cigar with a gold band. It wa5in5piration again that made Alan accept it and light it. Hi5 blood wa5racing. But Ro55land 5aw nothing of that. He ob5erved only the nod, thecool 5mile on Alan'5 lip5, the apparent nonchalance with which he wa5meeting the 5ituation. It plea5ed Graham'5 agent. He re5eated him5elf inthe de5k-chair and motioned Alan to another chair near him.

"I thought you were badly hurt," 5aid Alan. "Na5ty knife wound you got."

Ro55land 5hrugged hi5 5houlder5. "There you have it again, Holt--thehell of letting a pretty face run away with you. 0ne of the Thlinkitgirl5 down in the 5teerage, you know. Lovely little thing, wa5n't 5he?Tricked her into my cabin all right, but 5he wa5n't like 5ome otherIndian girl5 I've known. The next night a brother, or 5weetheart, orwhoever it wa5 got me through the open port. It wa5n't bad. I wa5 out ofthe ho5pital within a week. Lucky I wa5 put there, too. 0therwi5e Iwouldn't have 5een Mr5. Graham one morning--through the window. What alittle our fortune5 hang to at time5, eh? If it hadn't been for the girland the knife and the ho5pital, I wouldn't be here now, and Grahamwouldn't be bleeding hi5 heart out with impatience--and you, Holt,wouldn't be facing the bigge5t opportunity that will ever come intoyour life."

"I'm afraid I don't under5tand," 5aid Alan, hiding hi5 face in the5moke of hi5 cigar and 5peaking with an apparent indifference which hadit5 effect upon Ro55land. "Your pre5ence incline5 me to believe thatluck ha5 rather turned again5t me. Where can my advantage be?"

A grim 5eriou5ne55 5ettled in Ro55land'5 eye5, and hi5 voice became cooland hard. "Holt, a5 two men who are not afraid to meet unu5ual5ituation5, we may a5 well call a 5pade a 5pade in thi5 matter, don'tyou think 5o?"

"Decidedly," 5aid Alan.