ration. If you would only give me your word. . . ."

"I give you my word," he said sharply, "that that is just the thing
which I will never do. Virginia, breathe deep, fill your lungs with
the wonder of the night; realize what it means to live; think what it
means to die! You say that I am not afraid of death; well, maybe not
if it comes in a guise I have grown up to be familiar with. But to lie
as I saw Tony Garcia lying just now, powerless, unconscious, without
will or knowledge of what was coming to me, and to let a man cut into
me . . . I'd rather die, I think, standing upon my two feet and
fighting it out with a gun! You would go on and tell me that the
chances would be highly in favor of my recovery; and yet you would
admit that the danger would be grave."

"Then you are afraid, after all? That is it? That holds you back?"
She found it hard to believe that he was telling her his true emotion.

"I am merely measuring the chances," he said steadily. "I am satisfied
with life as I find it; I do not believe that there is anything wrong
with me; I see at least the possibility of death and nothing to be
gained by submitting to an operation."

"Then," she said again wearily, "there is no way out."

"But there is! My way, not the one you have thought of. You have
stumbled upon a thing which you must forget; that is all. Give me the
free swing to finish Jim Galloway, to complete certain other
undertakings. Promise me that you will do this; in return I will
promise you not to . . . ."

And here he hesitated.

"Not to commit another theft?" She set the matter squarely before him.
"Can you promise that, Rod Norton? Could you keep the promise were it
once made?"

"Yes."

"No! You could not. You don't understand or you won't understand.
You would obey the impulse which would come just as certainly as the
sun will rise and set again. So I can neither accept your
promise . . . nor give you mine."

"You will tell what you have guessed?"

"Rather what I know! Even if you were my own brother. . . ."

"Or your lover?" he demanded, a challenge in his voice.

"Or my lover. For his sake if not for the sake of others."

For a little while he made no answer. Again there was absolute silence
between him, a troubled silence filled with pain. Then suddenly he
leaned close to her, threw out his hand for Persis's rein, jerked both
horses back to a fretful standstill.

"Can't you see what you force me to