L’Ami Fritz now stood staring at her.  He had put his right hand—­the hand holding the thing he had taken out of the drawer—­behind his back.  He was very pale; the sweat had broken out on his sallow, thin face.

For a horrible moment there floated across Sylvia’s sub-conscious mind the thought of Anna Wolsky, and of what she now knew to have been Anna Wolsky’s fate.

But she put that thought, that awful knowledge, determinedly away from her.  The instinct of self-preservation possessed her wholly.

Already, in far less time than it would have taken to formulate the words, she had made up her mind to speak, and she knew exactly what she meant to say.

“It does not matter about my pearls,” Sylvia said, quietly.  Her voice shook a little, but otherwise she spoke in her usual tone.  “If you are going into Paris to-morrow morning, perhaps you would take them to be restrung?”

The man looked questioningly across at his wife.

“Yes, that sounds a good plan,” he said, in his guttural voice.

“No,” exclaimed Madame Wachner, decidedly, “that will not do at all!  We must not run that risk.  The pearls must be found, now, at once!  Stoop!” she said imperiously.  “Stoop, Sylvia!  Help me to find your pearls!”

She made a gesture as if she also meant to bend down....

But Sylvia Bailey made no attempt to obey the sinister order.  Slowly, warily she edged herself towards the closed window.  At last she stood with her back to it—­at bay.

“No,” she said quietly, “I will not stoop to pick up my pearls now, Madame Wachner.  It will be easier to find them in the daylight.  I am sure that Monsieur Wachner could pick them all up for me to-morrow morning.  Is not that so, Ami Fritz?” and there was a tone of pleading, for the first time of pitiful fear, in her soft voice.

She looked at him piteously, her large blue eyes wide open, dilated—­

“It is not my husband’s business to pick up your pearls!” exclaimed Madame Wachner harshly.

She stepped forward and gripped Sylvia by the arm, pulling her violently forward.  As she did so she made a sign to her husband, and he pushed a chair quickly between Mrs. Bailey and the window.

Sylvia had lost her point of vantage, but she was young and lithe; she kept her feet.

Nevertheless, she knew with a cold, reasoned knowledge that she was very near to death—­that it was only a question of minutes,—­unless—­unless she could make the man and woman before her understand that they would gain far more money by allowing her to live than by killing her now, to-night, for the value of the pearls that lay scattered on the floor, and the small, the pitiably small sum on her person.

“If you will let me go,” she said, desperately, “I swear I will give you everything I have in the world!”

Madame Wachner suddenly laid her hand on Sylvia’s arm, and tried to force her down on to her knees.