"Neatness, thoroughness, dispatch, everything shipshape, no loose ends
flying--that's my style, Roy. Now there was neatness and dispatch
about my running you out of Freeport when I found your presence there
inconvenient. Don't you think there was? Eh, you great fool? You
pulled my chestnuts out of the fire very nicely indeed. But I was not
as thorough as I should have been in that affair. A loose end, or two,
eh, Roy? Beasley--and yourself. Ah--but I improved with practice. I
left no loose end that night in Bellingham, did I? Unless the fact
that your neck didn't stretch, as I intended, could be called a loose
end. But then--you'll be tucked out of sight again very soon, and this
time for good and all. I never did believe in imprisonment for life,
Roy; it is such a cruel punishment. I'm a tender-hearted man, Roy--ho,
ho, that's rich, eh? I told that judge, after he sentenced you, that
he would have been acting more kindly had he disregarded the jury's
recommendation and hanged you out of hand. And do you know what he
told me, Roy? He said I was right, that you deserved hanging. Ho, ho,
deserved hanging! And he was a godly man, Roy.

"Oh, what a great fool you were! How easily I made you play my game!
That night you had me to dinner on board your ship, in Bellingham--you
never guessed why I fished for that invitation? Why I persuaded you to
send your mates ashore that night? Just another of Angus' scrapes,
thought you; he wants to confide in me, and ask my advice. Angus wants
my help, thought you. So I did, Roy, so I did.

"I needed your help badly. But not the kind or help you would have
offered; no, I needed your help in a different way. I needed a
catspaw, Roy.

"I was skating on pretty thin ice just about then, Roy, I needed old
Baintree's money. I needed Mary to get the money. But Mary was only
willing to take me because her father wished her to; and I was heartily
sick of playing the saint to stand well with him. Oh, well, I'll tell
you--why not? The old hypocrite had a Puritan's sharp eyes, and he had
caught me in a slip-up or two, and I knew he was about to tell Mary to
break the betrothal. And there was another thing, a little investment
I handled for him. He was bound to discover about it shortly, when the
payments were due, and--well, you know, Roy, what an absurd attitude he
had towards a little slip like that. I was in a rather desperate fix,
you see; yes, I really neede