"
"I have no desire to evade any responsibility in this matter, legal
or otherwise," said Carroll, coldly, rising to his feet.
"Look here," said Prince, suddenly, with a return of his brusque
frankness; "you might have ASKED me for those letters, you know."
"And you wouldn't have given them to me," said Carroll.
Prince laughed. "That's so! I say, Captain. Did they teach you
this sort of strategy at West Point?"
"They taught me that I could neither receive nor give an insult
under a white flag," said Carroll, pleasantly. "And they allowed
me to make exchanges under the same rule. I picked up this pocket-
book on the spot where the accident occurred to Dr. West. It is
evidently his. I leave it with you, who are his executor."
The instinct of reticence before a man with whom he could never be
confidential kept him from alluding to his other discovery.
Prince took the pocket-book, and opened it mechanically. After a
moment's scrutiny of the memoranda it contained, his face assumed
something of the same concentrated attention it wore at the
beginning of the interview. Raising his eyes suddenly to Carroll,
he said, quickly,--
"You have examined it?"
"Only so far as to see that it contained nothing of importance to
the person I represent," returned Carroll, simply.
The capitalist looked at the young officer's clear eyes. Something
of embarrassment came into his own as he turned them away.
"Certainly. Only memoranda of the Doctor's business.
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