d, if you should go to Bassett and in course of time,
everything running smoothly, he asked you to do something that jarred
with those ideals of yours, what should you do?"

"I should refuse, sir," answered Dan, earnestly.

Fitch nodded gravely.

"Very well; then I'd say go ahead. You understand that I'm not
predicting that such a moment is inevitable, but it's quite possible.
I'll say to you what I've never said before to any man: I don't
understand Morton Bassett. I've known him for ten years, and I know him
just as well now as I did the day I first met him. That may be my own
dullness; but ignoring all that his enemies say of him,--and he has some
very industrious ones, as you know,--he's still, at his best, a very
unusual and a somewhat peculiar and difficult person."

"He's different, at least; but I can't think him half as bad as they say
he is."

"He isn't, probably," replied Fitch, whose eyes were contemplating the
cornice of the building across the street. Then, as though just
recalling Dan's presence: "May I ask you whether, aside from that
'Courier' article, you ever consciously served Bassett in any way--ever
did anything that might have caused him to feel that he was under
obligations?"

"Why, no, sir; nothing whatever."

"--Or--" a considerable interval in which Fitch's gaze reverted to the
cornice--"that you might have some information that made it wise for him
to keep his hand on you?"

"Absolutely nothing," answered Dan, the least bit uncomfortable under
this questioning.

"You're not aware," the lawyer persisted deliberately, "that you ever
had any dealings of any kind even remotely with Mr. Bassett."

"No; never, beyond what I've told you."

"Then, if I were in your place, and the man I think you are, I'd accept
the offer, but don't bind yourself for a long period; keep your mouth
shut and hang on to your ideals,--it's rather odd that you and I should
be using that word; it doesn't get into a law office often. If you feel
tempted to do things that you know are crooked, think of Billy Sumner,
and act accordingly. It's getting to be truer all the time that few of
us are free men. What's Shakespeare's phrase?--'bound upon a wheel of
fire';--that, Mr. Harwood, is all of us. We have valuable clients in
this office that we'd lose if I got out and shouted my real political
convictions. We're all cowards; but don't you be one. As soon as I'm
sure I've provided for my family against the day of wr