rging back. "No one must ever know the truth," he went on,
huskily. "Let it be buried with poor Arthur. There will be more or less
gossip; but we will stand by you for the judge's sake--and for Miss
Blair's as well. She, of all persons, must know nothing of what you have
told me."

Mrs. Latimer's sobs only roused his wrath at all the misery she had
wrought. He knew her tears were for herself, not for her husband. As he
turned to leave the room she caught at his hand.

"I did not mean----" she began in weak defense. "You are too hard," she
protested, feeling him recoil.

"Hard!" Philip laughed harshly in his pain. "You did not expect me to
condole with you on the outcome of your folly? All that I can say is,
may God forgive you!" and he was gone.

So resolutely did Latimer's friends ignore all previous conditions that
the ready tongue of rumor was silenced immediately. Surely if Senator
Danvers and the doctor from Fort Benton, as well as Miss Blair, were
ever at Mrs. Latimer's side, there could have been no breath of wrong in
her sudden cultivation of Senator Blair.

Only three persons--Danvers, the doctor and Moore--knew of the hidden
octopus of Burroughs' insatiable vindictiveness, whose tentacles, first
fastening on Eva, had finally crushed Latimer. Moore knew, if the others
did not, that Blair was doomed if he once again came within its radius.
Then for the others! But he made no immediate move, and decorously gave
regard to the proprieties, both for himself and as a substitute for Mr.
Burroughs. His chief was almost as hysterical as Eva herself over the
judge's untimely death, for he thought his prospects endangered thereby.
His panic made him hasten to leave Helena for a few days.

Moore had tried to secure some other man to change to Burroughs, someone
who did not hold himself as high as Blair had done on the night of the
club dinner; but he had finally been obliged to report his non-success.
He suggested to Burroughs that he approach Senator Blair once more,
offering twenty thousand dollars. He felt sure that Charlie would take
less--now!

Just before Burroughs ordered a special train to hurry him away from the
prevailing gloom, the two conspirators had their final word on the
subject of Senator Blair.

"We've got to get this thing over," said Burroughs, savagely. "There's
too much talk. We'll be hung as high as Haman or sent to the pen for
twenty years if we don't get a move on. And there are but six da