when he said he would." The eyes of the
lawyer were cold and hard as jade.

"You can tell him it won't be necessary for me to see him. I've made
other arrangements," Killen said uneasily.

"You mean that you repudiate your agreement with him. Is that it?"
Farnum's voice was like a whiplash.

"I've decided to support Frome. Fact is--"

"Oh, damn the facts! You made an agreement. You're going to sell out.
That's all there is to it."

The young man's face was dark with furious disgust.

Killen flared up. "You better be careful how you talk to me, Mr. Farnum.
I might want to know what Big Tim was doing in your office yesterday. I
might want to know what business took you up to The Brakes by a mighty
roundabout way."

James strode forward in a rage. "Get out of here before I throw you out,
you little spying blackguard."

"You bet I'll get out," screamed the mill man. "Get clear out and have
nothing more to do with your outfit. But I want to tell you that folks
will talk a lot when they know how you and Big Tim fixed up a deal--"
Killen, backing toward the door as he spoke, broke off to hasten his
exit before the lawyer's threatening advance.

James slammed the door shut on him and paced up and down in an impotent
fury of passion. "The dirty little blackleg! He'd like to bracket me in
the same class as himself. He'd like to imply that I--By Heaven, if
he opens his lying mouth to a hint of such a thing I'll horsewhip the
little cad."

But running uneasily through his mind was an undercurrent of
disgust--with himself, with Jeff, with the whole situation. Why had he
ever let himself get mixed up with such an outfit? Government by the
people! The thing was idiotic, mere demagogic cant. Power was to the
strong. He had always known it. But yesterday that old giant at The
Brakes had hammered it home to him. He did not like to admit even to
himself that his folly had betrayed Hardy's cause, but at bottom he knew
he should not have gone to The Brakes until after the election and
that he ought never to have let Killen out of the office without an
explanation. Yesterday he would have won back the man somehow by an
appeal to his loyalty and his self-interest.

He must send word at once to Jeff and let him try to remedy the
mischief.

His cousin, coming into the office with Rawson just as James took down
the receiver of the telephone, noticed at once the disturbance of the
latter.

James told his story. It was clear to