"
"Shall I?"
"Yes."
"I had reason to suppose that my pretended father was my
friend; one thing is certain no millionaire ever guarded a
fair daughter with more tenderness than he has guarded me. He
has sent me to school, and has permitted me to become educated
far above my station. You know in this land that is an easy
thing for a poor man to do, but within a few days strange
suspicions have crossed my mind; no man even among the
roughest of them ever dared insult me. Tom Pearce would have
killed the man who dared bring one faint flush to my cheek
with his vile tongue! but alas! I fear--fear."
"What do you fear?"
"Shall I say it?"
"Certainly."
"I fear his tender care of me has been a speculation."
"You do not believe he is your friend?"
"I fear he is not."
"Some enemy may have traduced Tom Pearce."
"No; the words that aroused my suspicions fell frown his own
lips."
"And what do you fear?"
"You must learn from other lips."
"Who will tell me?"
"If you are to know at all, you must learn my fears from the
lips of my enemies."
"How shall I do that?"
"Are you willing to serve me?"
The detective was silent. He was certainly charmed and lured
by this beautiful child of the shore, but could he afford to
undertake to be the champion of a barefooted girl, though she
did own a strangely beautiful face?
"If you serve me I will serve you."
"What can you do for me?"
The girl's eyes gleamed as she answered:
"Let me but know that these men are my foes, that I owe them
no gratitude, and I can give you information for which the
government would pay thousands! and even to-night in serving
me you would also serve yourself.
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