"
"All that may be so," he admitted.
"You may have a revolver in the pocket of your dress-coat," went on
Maggie, pointing to the voluminous garment with her fan.
His hand went to the pocket in question, and produced exactly what she
had suggested. He held out his hand with a small silver-mounted revolver
lying in the palm of it.
"Even that," he said, "may be so."
Maggie looked at it with a sudden curiosity, her bright eyes grave.
"Loaded?" she asked.
"Yes."
"Then I will not examine it. How curious! I wonder how near to the mark
I may have been in other ways."
"I wonder," said Steinmetz, looking at Etta. "And now tell us something
about the princess. What do you suspect her of?"
At this moment Paul came into the room, distinguished-looking and grave.
"Miss Delafield," pursued Steinmetz, turning to the new-comer, "is
telling us her suspicions about ourselves. I am already as good as
condemned to Siberia. She is now about to sit in judgment on the
princess."
Maggie laughed.
"Herr Steinmetz has pleaded guilty to the worst accusation," she said.
"On the other counts I leave him to his own conscience."
"Any thing but that," urged Steinmetz.
Paul came forward, and Maggie rather obviously avoided looking at him.
"Tell us of Paul's crimes first," said Etta, rather hurriedly. She
glanced at the clock, whither Karl Steinmetz's eyes had also travelled.
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