ing."

He passed his hand across his moist and pallid face, paced his room
again several times, then touched a button and stood stiffly erect
beside his desk. The next moment the door closed behind a short,
rather chubby man with an egg-shell dome and a circlet of grayish
hair. He had eyes that twinkled with good fellowship and a cheery,
fatherly manner.

"Well, well, Mr. Blake; mighty glad to see you!" he exclaimed as he
crossed the room.

Blake, still pale, but now with tense composure, took the hand of his
visitor.

"This is a surprise, Mr. Brown," said he. "How do you happen to be in
Westville?"

Mr. Brown disposed himself comfortably in the chair that Katherine had
so lately occupied.

"To-morrow's the trial of that Doctor West, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Well, I thought I'd better be on the ground to see how it came out."

Blake did not respond at once; but, lips very tight together, sat
gazing at the ruddy face of his visitor.

"Everything's going all right, isn't it?" asked Mr. Brown in his
cheery voice.

"About the trial, you mean?" Blake asked with an effort.

"Of course. The letter I had from you yesterday assured me conviction
was certain. Things still stand the same way, I suppose?"

Blake's whole body was taut. His dark eyes were fixed upon Mr. Brown.

"They do not," he said quietly.

"Not stand the same way?" cried Mr. Brown, half rising from his chair.
"Why not?"

"I am afraid," replied Blake with his strained quiet, "that the
prosecution will not make out a case."

"Not make out a case?"

"To-morrow Doctor West is going to be cleared."

"Cleared? Cleared?" Mr. Brown stared. "Now what the devil--see here,
Blake, how's that going to happen?"

Blake's tense figure had leaned forward.

"It's going to happen, Mr. Brown," he burst out, with a flashing of
his dark eyes, "because I'm tired of doing your dirty work, and the
dirty work of the National Electric & Water Company!"

"You mean you're going to see he's cleared?"

"I mean I'm going to see he's cleared!"

"What--you?" ejaculated Mr. Brown, still staring. "Why, only in your
letter yesterday you were all for the plan! What's come over you?"

"If you'd gone through what I've just gone through----" Blake abruptly
checked his passionate reference to his scene with Katherine. "I say
enough when I say that I'm going to see that Doctor West is cleared.
There you have it."

No further word was spoken for a moment. The two men, leanin