Don't harm her, Drene. It is not necessary. I shall never see her
again--if that will content you."

Drene laughed: "I never saw my wife again. Did that help me? I never saw
her again, but as long as she lived I knew what she was ... My wife. And
when she died, still my wife. There was no relief--no relief."

Graylock, deathly white, framed his haggard face between his hands and
stared at nothing:

"I know," he said. "I understand now. I am here to-night to pay the
reckoning."

"You can't pay it."

"No, not the whole score. There's another bill, I suppose, waiting for
me--somewhere. But I can settle my indebtedness to you--"

"How?"

"That's up to you, Drene."

"How?" repeated Drene, violently.

Graylock made a slight gesture with his head toward Drene's sagging
pocket: "That way if you like. Or," he added, "There is a harder
punishment."

"What is it?"

"To give her up."

"Yes," said Drene, "that is harder. But I can make it even harder than
that. I can make it as hard for you as you made it for me. I can let you
live through it."

He laughed, fisted in his pocket, drew out the lumpy automatic and
leisurely pushed the lever to "safe."

He said: "To kill you would be like opening the cell door for a lifer.
You know what you are while you're alive; maybe you'd forget if you were
dead. I--"

He ceased, fiddling absently with the dull-colored weapon on his knee;
and for a while they remained silent, not looking at each other. And
when Drene spoke again he was still intent upon the automatic.

"If I knew what happens after a man dies I could act intelligently." He
shot an ugly look at Graylock: "I don't know about you, either. You're a
rat. But you might fool me at that. You might be repentant. And in that
case you'd get away--if it's true that the eleventh hour is not too
late.... If it's true that Christ is merciful.... So I'll take no
chances of a getaway. You might fool me--one way or another--if you were
dead."

Graylock lifted his head from his hands: "I don't know how much of the
other debt I've already paid, Drene. But I've paid heavily since I knew
her--if that is any satisfaction to you. And since I knew she cared for
you, and when I realized that you meant to strike me through her--I have
paid, heavily.... Yet, if you were honestly in love with her--"

"Is that any of your damned business?"

"She's only a child--"

"You rat! That's what's coming to you!"

"If you say so. But what is