“Well, that’s just it.  That’s why I come to find you,” Meakim answered, uneasily.  “I don’t want him to qualify for no Criminal Stakes.  I got no reason to love him either—­But you know—­” he ended, impotently.

“Yes, I understand,” said Carroll.  “That’s what I meant.  Confound the boy, why didn’t he stay in his law courts!  What did he say?”

“Oh, he just raged around.  He said he’d tell Allen there was an extradition treaty that Allen didn’t know about, and that if Allen didn’t give him the sixty thousand he’d put it in force and make him go back and stand trial.”

“Compounding a felony, is he?”

“No, nothing of the sort,” said Meakim, indignantly.  “There isn’t any extradition treaty, so he wouldn’t be doing anything wrong except lying a bit.”

“Well, it’s blackmail, anyway.”

“What, blackmail a man like Allen?  Huh!  He’s fair game, if there ever was any.  But it won’t work with him, that’s what I’m afraid of.  He’s too cunning to be taken in by it, he is.  He had good legal advice before he came here, or he wouldn’t have come.”

Carroll was pacing up and down the terrace.  He stopped and spoke over his shoulder.  “Does Holcombe think Allen has the money with him?” he asked.

“Yes, he’s sure of it.  That’s what makes him so keen.  He says Allen wouldn’t dare bank it at Gibraltar, because if he ever went over there to draw on it he would get caught, so he must have brought it with him here.  And he got here so late that Holcombe believes it’s in Allen’s rooms now, and he’s like a dog that smells a rat, after it.  Allen wasn’t in when he went up to his room, and he’s started out hunting for him, and if he don’t find him I shouldn’t be a bit surprised if he broke into the room and just took it.”

“For God’s sake!” cried Carroll.  “He wouldn’t do that?”

Meakim pulled and fingered at his heavy watch-chain and laughed doubtfully.  “I don’t know,” he said.  “He wouldn’t have done it three months ago, but he’s picked up a great deal since then—­since he has been with us.  He’s asking for Captain Reese, too.”

“What’s he want with that blackguard?”

“I don’t know; he didn’t tell me.”

“Come,” said Carroll, quickly.  “We must stop him.”  He ran lightly down the steps of the terrace to the beach, with Meakim waddling heavily after him.  “He’s got too much at stake, Meakim,” he said, in half-apology, as they tramped through the sand.  “He mustn’t spoil it.  We won’t let him.”

Holcombe had searched the circuit of Tangier’s small extent with fruitless effort, his anger increasing momentarily and feeding on each fresh disappointment.  When he had failed to find the man he sought in any place, he returned to the hotel and pushed open the door of the smoking-room as fiercely as though he meant to take those within by surprise.