Foster nodded and was silent.  Perhaps it was because the excitement of the chase was over, but he felt dull and tired.  He had no sympathy with Daly; the fellow was a rogue, but he had pluck and charm.  In a sense, it was unnatural that they should be talking quietly and almost confidentially, but he did not feel the anger he had expected and his antagonist was calm.  Still, he was none the less dangerous and would use any advantage that he could gain.

“Now you had better tell me exactly what you want,” Daly resumed.

“I want you to leave my partner alone.”

“Would you be satisfied with my promise?”

“No,” said Foster; “not without some guarantee.”

“Then we must make a bargain.  I’m able, if I think it worth while, to give you what you ask.  None of my confederates know anything about Featherstone’s history; this ought to be obvious if you claim that Walters meant to kill him.  Very well; I can, so to speak, bury an unfortunate error of his so that it will never trouble him again.  That’s much.  What have you to offer?”

Foster was now confronted with the difficulty he dreaded most, but he tried to be firm.

“I don’t know that I need make an offer.  I think I’m able to dictate terms.”

“Are you?” Daly asked with an ironical smile.  “Well, suppose you had me arrested?  My defense would be to discredit your partner’s evidence.  My lawyer would prove that Featherstone was my enemy and had a motive for revenge, by admitting that I had demanded money from him and would tell the court on what grounds.  You must see the danger in which you’d put your friend.”

Foster saw it; indeed, he had seen it since he began the chase.  He must silence Daly, but the fellow was a criminal and he could not bring himself to promise him immunity from the punishment he deserved.  Yet nothing less would satisfy the man.  It looked as if he must deny his duty as a citizen if he meant to save his friend.  This was the problem, and there was apparently no solution.  Daly, who understood it, watched him with dry amusement.

“Well,” resumed the latter, “I’ll make a proposition.  To begin with, we’ll exchange documents; the checks against the papers that compromise Featherstone.”

“Which you haven’t brought!”

“Just so,” said Daly.  “If we both engage to make no use of the documents we hold, they can be exchanged at some convenient time.”

“That means I must put the police off your track and meet you again.”

“Exactly; you have no choice.  Besides, Featherstone must promise to keep back anything he knows and you to say nothing about your meeting with Graham.”

“I can’t agree,” Foster replied.

“Then I’m afraid your partner must take the consequences.”

Foster pondered.  Daly looked determined, and, knowing his friendship for Lawrence, meant to trade on it, but Foster must try to persuade him that he counted too much on this.  The fellow played a clever game, but it was nearly finished and Foster thought he still held a trump.