The Frenchman is pretending to be ill, but he is not ill, only frightened." "Frightened of what ?" "Of the consequences of his own acts.

In a sense, Mr.Hunter was his ally, but only from a journalist's standpoint, which centered in the sensation which would be provided by the projected marriage." Schmidt's eyelids had fallen and risen regularly during the past few minutes.

They dropped now for a longer period than usual.

As for Lord Valletort and his would-be son-in-law, they were profoundly and unfeignedly ill at ease.

Even a British Earl cannot afford to play fast and loose with the law, and it did seem most convincingly clear that they had brought themselves within measurable reach of the law by the tactics they had employed prior to their arrival in New York.
Oddly enough, their own possible connection with the murder of the journalist was a good deal more patent to them than to Curtis and Devar, who were vastly better posted in the evidence affecting them.
Still more curiously, not a word had been said about Martiny or Rossi.
"Let us suppose," said Schmidt, when his eyes had opened again, "that Lady Hermione elects to return to Europe at once with her father, the Earl----" Steingall shook his head with a weary smile, and the lawyer's voice ceased suddenly.
"Out of the question, Mr.Schmidt, out of the question.