that she was either embarrassed or alarmed by his presence. He had been
captured many times, but the trick had never been turned by any one so
cool as this young woman. She seemed to be pondering with the greatest
calmness what disposition she should make of him. In the intentness of her
thought the revolver wavered for an instant, and The Hopper, without
taking his eyes from her, made a cat-like spring that brought him to the
window he had raised against just such an emergency.

"None of that!" she cried, walking slowly toward him without lowering the
pistol. "If you attempt to jump from that window I'll shoot! But it's
cold in here and you may lower it."

The Hopper, weighing the chances, decided that the odds were heavily
against escape, and lowered the window.

"Now," said Muriel, "step into that corner and keep your hands up where I
can watch them."

The Hopper obeyed her instructions strictly. There was a telephone on the
table near her and he expected her to summon help; but to his surprise she
calmly seated herself, resting her right elbow on the arm of the chair,
her head slightly tilted to one side, as she inspected him with greater
attention along the blueblack barrel of her automatic. Unless he made a
dash for liberty this extraordinary woman would, at her leisure, turn him
over to the police as a housebreaker and his peaceful life as a chicken
farmer would be at an end. Her prolonged silence troubled The Hopper. He
had not been more nervous when waiting for the report of the juries which
at times had passed upon his conduct, or for judges to fix his term of
imprisonment.