"
It was a supreme moment of peril. Our hero had friends at hand, but
alas! ere his friends could announce themselves the deed of horror might
have been perpetrated. It was indeed a critical moment, but Oscar was
cool. He stepped forward and was pushed toward a seat, and the men
gathered at the table. All sat down also.
There followed a moment's silence. Oscar looked around. Near him stood
the siren who had allured him into the den, and her whole expression of
countenance had changed. She looked like a beautiful fiend as her eyes
gleamed with delight and the red glow of triumph flushed her features.
She was proud. She had promised to deliver the detective into the hands
of his intending assassins, and she had made good her word.
"So you have betrayed me," said Oscar.
"Yes," answered the woman, "I have betrayed you."
"The story about your brother was a lie."
"All these gentlemen are my brothers."
"And what now, woman?"
"You have just five minutes to live. You were set to destroy us; we will
destroy you."
"Poor creature," said Oscar in a tone of deep commiseration.
The woman glared, for there was a terrible significance in his tones,
and she shouted:
"Down him and make sure."
Alas! the arrangements fortunately were run on seconds, not minutes, or
our hero would have been a dead man.
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