a charge with the police would be impracticable, in this
case."

"Why would it?"

"Simply because it wouldn't get at Penfield, and it would only lead
to--to embarrassing publicity!"

"Exactly so! And you may be sure, young man, that Penfield is quite
aware of that fact. To be candid, it is just such things as this that
allow him to be operating today. If you start the wheels, you must
stand the racket!"

"Then you allow a notorious gambler to break every law of the land and
say you can give me no help whatever in balking what amounts to a
criminal abduction?"

The swivel-chair creaked peremptorily, as the public prosecutor turned
sharply back to his desk.

"You'd better try the police!" he bit out impatiently.

Durkin strode to the door. He was halfway through it, when he was
called sharply back.

"Don't carry away the impression, young man, that we're not fighting
this man Penfield as hard as we can!"

"It looks like it!" mocked the man in the doorway.

"One moment--we have been after this man Penfield, and his kind, and
we're still after them. But we don't pretend to accomplish miracles.
This city is made up of mere human beings, and human beings still have
the failing of breaking out, morally, now in one place, now in another.
We can compress and segregate those infectious blots, but until you can
show us the open sore we can't put on the salve. If you are convinced
you are the object of some criminal activity, and are willing to hold
nothing back, I can detail two plain-clothes men from my own office to
go with you and help you out."

Durkin laughed, a little recklessly, a little scoffingly. Two
plain-clothes men to capture a steel-bound fortress!

"Don't trouble them. They might make Penfield mad--they might get
themselves talked about--and there's no use, you know, making a mess of
one's mayoralty chances!"

And he was through the door indignantly, and as indignantly out, before
the district-attorney could so much as flick the ash off his
cigarette-end.

But after doing so, he touched an electric button, and it was at once
answered by an athletic-looking clerk with all the earmarks of the
collegian about him.

"Tell Barney to follow that man who just went out. Tell him to keep
him under his eye, closely, and report to me tonight! Hurry these
papers back to the Fire Commissioner. Then get that window up, and let
the Mott Street Merchants' Protective Association in!"

Durkin, in the