what Guion had been and
what he was to-day.

"And so," Guion concluded, "I don't see how I could accept this money
from you. Any honorable man--that is," he corrected, in some confusion,
"any _sane_ man--would tell you as much."

"I've already considered what the sane man and the honorable man would
tell me. I guess I can let them stick to their opinion so long as I have
my own."

"And what _is_ your opinion? Do you mind telling me? You understand that
what you're proposing is immoral, don't you?"

"Yes--in a way."

Guion frowned. He had hoped for some pretense at contradiction.

"I didn't know whether you'd thought of that."

"Oh yes, I've thought of it. That is, I see what you mean."

"It's compounding a felony and outwitting the ends of justice and--"

"I guess I'll do it just the same. It doesn't seem to be my special job
to look after the ends of justice; and as for compounding a
felony--well, it'll be something new."

Guion made a show of looking at him sharply. The effort, or the
pretended effort, to see through Davenant's game disguised for the
moment his sense of humiliation at this prompt acceptance of his own
statement of the case.

"All the same," he observed, trying to take a detached, judicial tone,
"your offer is so amazing that I presume you wouldn't make it unless you
had some unusual reason."

"I don't know that I have. In fact, I know I haven't."

"Well, whatever its nature, I should like to know what it is."

"Is that necessary?"

"Doesn't it strike you that it would be--in order? If I were to let you
do this for me you'd be rendering me an extraordinary service. We're
both men of business, men of the world; and we know that something for
nothing is not according to Hoyle."

Davenant looked at him pensively. "That is, you want to know what I
should be pulling off for myself?"

"That's about it."

"I don't see why that should worry you. If you get the money--"

"If I get the money I put myself in your power."

"What of that? Isn't it just as well to be in my power as in the power
of other people?"

Again Guion winced inwardly, but kept his self-control. He was not yet
accustomed to doing without the formulas of respect from those whom he
considered his inferiors.

"Possibly," he said, not caring to conceal a certain irritation; "but
even so I should like to know in case I _were_ in your power what you'd
expect of me."

"I can answer that question right away. I shouldn't