t a whisper.

But Hertzog, engrossed in the volume before him, did not hear. Mr.
Constable glanced at the stern Hebraic face, flushed and changed his
remark to a question.

"Do you think he'll win?"

The junior partner started up nervously.

"How the devil can I tell!" he burst out angrily. "What's the
use of sitting there parroting 'Do-you-think-he-can-win?
Do-you-think-he-can-win?' He's got a damned good case on the merits.
There's something in the Code that may fix him, but I don't count on it.
Don't ask such idiotic questions. Of course I think he can win, but I
also think he mustn't. If you want my opinion"--Mr. Hertzog swung
himself about and cast a searching glance at the shrivelled, mean little
figure crushed into the leather easy-chair beside him. "If you want my
real opinion, Constable," he repeated, "I think we've _got_ to win.
Haven't we?"

For a moment Mr. Constable stared silently at his partner. Then shaking
his head he mumbled a word or two, stopped, put his hand to his throat,
began again, stammered a disjointed sentence and suddenly poured forth a
torrent of confused and incoherent words that thickened into a clotted
gurgle and freed itself in a sputter swelling to peal upon peal of
hideous, shattering, mirthless laughter--laughter which forced the man
to his feet and rocked him with its spasms.

Hertzog leaped toward the door and fastened it. The clerks must not hear
the horror of this. Then he darted to the window, but by the time he had
closed it the laughter had died out, and Constable was quivering upon
the floor, the blood gushing from his mouth.

IV.

"O, I know, Nurse, but I won't excite him--I'll go a long way toward
curing him. You can trust me for that."

Mr. Hertzog pushed himself into the sick-room and walked toward the bed,
waving a telegram in his hand. Mr. Constable smiled feebly at his
visitor.

"Now, old man, I'm the doctor to-day. Are you up to taking my
prescription in the form of a story?"

The invalid nodded.

"Even if it's about the--the Horton case?"

Mr. Constable nodded positively.

"Well, you remember, just before you were taken sick, I told you I
thought they'd got a pretty good case----"

"Yes, yes." The whisper was eager, expectant.

--"And the more I examined it the more positive I became that there was
no chance for attacking it on the merits----"

The invalid lay back on the pillows and smiled foolishly at the man
beside him.

--"So, of cours