They passed down the narrow street until Blandford suddenly stopped short and turned into the crumbling doorway of one of the low adobe buildings and entered an apartment.

It seemed to be the ordinary living-room of the house, made more domestic by the presence of a silk counterpaned bed in one corner, a prie Dieu and crucifix, and one or two articles of bedchamber furniture.

A woman was sitting in deshabille by the window; a man was smoking on a lounge against the wall.

Blandford, in the same peremptory manner, addressed a command in Spanish to the inmates, who immediately abandoned the apartment to the seeming trespasser.
Motioning his companion to a seat on the lounge just vacated, Blandford folded his arms and stood erect before him.
"Well," he said, with quick, business conciseness, "what do you want ?" Ezekiel was staggered out of his complacency.
"Wa'al," he stammered, "I only reckoned to ask the news, ez we are old friends--I--" "How much do you want ?" repeated Blandford, impatiently.
Ezekiel was mystified, yet expectant.

"I can't say ez I exakly understand," he began.
"How--much--money--do--you--want," continued Blandford, with frigid accuracy, "to get up and get out of this place ?" "Wa'al, consideren ez I'm travellin' here ez the only authorized agent of a first-class Frisco Drug House," said Ezekiel, with a mingling of mortification, pride, and hopefulness, "unless you're travellin' in the opposition business, I don't see what's that to you." Blandford regarded him searchingly for an instant.