ink of glass.

"Here, pull yourself together; this will fix you. Sit there.... I did
not know you were so sensitive."

A gulp, followed by another shuddering sound. Then, weakly, with a
sort of loathing, "I don't know. I never liked the fellow ... but
this... Besides, it's damned risky; you can't pretend it isn't."

"Why? Think of it calmly. Who can prove how he got the infection?
It's a thing that can never be proved, one way or the other. Everyone
knows he's laid himself open to it, that I have warned him.... No, no.
You will see. As for any other feeling you may have, you must settle
with your own squeamishness; that is no concern of mine."

There was a short pause, while upon her hard couch Esther set her teeth
together and clenched her hands with all her remaining strength. She
wondered if she was going to faint. She felt she must listen, listen,
not miss one word. Like something in a nightmare the cold, phlegmatic
voice continued slowly:

"I look upon things as they are, simply, without prejudice. With all
life, human or otherwise, one creature preys upon another. One has to
decide, Am I worth the sacrifice of another human being? I do not know
that I should consider you worth it, my good friend, to be quite frank,
but in my own case I venture to think that I am. Having made my mind
clear on this point, I go ahead, merely observing certain precautions
which will be necessary as long as the exceptional individual is so far
in advance of the mass. I do not hesitate to declare that the work I
can do for science is worth many hundreds--or shall I say
thousands?--of Cliffords, young and old. To think for one moment of
putting my labours for the next twenty years in the balance against a
couple of cotton-manufacturers is ludicrous, that is all."

"Ha, ha, ha, ha! Yes, if you look at it that way, I suppose it's a
devil of a joke!"

Holliday was becoming hysterical.

"Also one must not lose sight of the fact that when the young one is
out of the way, you and I will both benefit considerably more than we
first expected. Lady Clifford will inherit three to four times as
much. I look forward to being quite unhampered; I shall be able to
devote myself to research for the rest of my life."

Somewhere far below a clock struck a single mellow clang. It was the
same clock that had ticked so loudly that day when Esther first came to
the house. She could see it now, its wide white face crossed by i