our admittance. You were not overly-cordial, you know, and I did n't
propose having the lady walk back to town. It's different this
morning, and I am going to be just as frank with you as you are with
me. Is that square?"

"I reckon," uneasily, not yet able to gauge my purpose, and feeling his
bluff a failure. "I ain't got nothin' ter lie about so fur as I know.
Let's go inside, whar we kin have it out quiet like."

I followed him into the front room, and he kicked out a chair so as to
bring my face to the windows. As I sank into it I noticed a dusty
mirror opposite which gave me a dim reflection of the entire room.
Coombs shut the door leading to the back of the house, and sat down
facing me, his big hands on his knees. His effort to look pleasant
only made him appear uglier than usual.

"Wal, go on!" he said gruffly.

I crossed my legs comfortably, and leaned back in the chair, quite
conscious of thus adding to his irritation. If I could only anger the
fellow sufficiently he might blurt out something of value. Anyhow, my
best card was cool indifference.

"There is not much to say," I replied deliberately. "I 'll answer your
questions so far as I think best, and then I 'll ask a few of you. The
lady upstairs is Viola Henley, the wife of Philip Henley. She has come
down here to take legal possession of this property. That is the
situation in a nutshell. I am merely accompanying her to make sure
that she gets a square deal."