"Never!" cries the Judge. "Give up the girl you took away. Leave
at once. I will secure your fortune. You cannot force me. You never
could. You cannot now!" He glares defiance to the death.
His eyes tell the truth. He will not yield,
"Then God help you, Philip," the woman solemnly says. "You will
never reach the Senate! You will never live to marry another
woman!"
"Do you threaten me, you she-devil?" snarls Hardin, alarmed at
the settled, resolute face. "I have a little piece of news for
you which will block your game, my lady. There is no proof of the
legitimacy of the child, Isabel Valois. A claim has already been
filed by a distant Mexican relative of the Peraltas. The suit will
come up soon. If the girl is declared illegitimate, you can take
her back to France, and keep her as a beggar. You are in my hands!"
He chuckles softly.
"Philip Hardin, you are a liar and a monster. This is your conspiracy.
Now, show yourself a thief, also." Natalie retorts. The words cut
the proud man like a lash.
He seizes her jewelled wrist. He is beside himself.
"Beware," she hisses. "By the God who made me, I'll strike you
dead."
He recoils.
She is once more the queen of the El Dorado. Her ready knife is
flashing before his eyes.
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