wn blandly, "you propose to do it so that
you will appear in no way to be involved?"

Blake was thinking of Katherine's accusation. "Of course."

"Just suppose you think about that point for a minute or two."

There was a brief silence. When Mr. Brown next spoke he spoke very
slowly and accompanied each word with a gentle tap of his forefinger
on the desk.

"Can you think of a single way to clear Doctor West without
incriminating yourself?"

Blake gave a start.

"What's that?"

"Can you get Doctor West out of his trouble without showing who got
him into his trouble? Just think that over."

During the moment of silence Blake grew yet more pale.

"I'll kill the case somehow!" he breathed.

"But the case looks very strong against Doctor West. Everybody
believes him guilty. Do you think you can suddenly, within twenty-four
hours, reverse the whole situation, and not run some risk of having
suspicion shift around to you?"

Blake's eyes fell to his desk, and he sat staring whitely at it.

"And there's still another matter," pursued the gentle voice of Mr.
Brown, now grown apologetic. "I wouldn't think of mentioning it, but I
want you to have every consideration before you. I believe I never
told you that the National Electric & Water Company own the majority
stock of the Acme Filter Company."

"No, I didn't know that."

"It was because of that mutual relationship that I was able to help
out your little plan by getting Marcy to do what he did. Now if some
of our directors should feel sore at the way you've thrown us down,
they might take it into their minds to make things unpleasant for
you."

"Unpleasant? How?"

Mr. Brown's fatherly smile had now come back. It was full of concern
for Blake.

"Well, I'd hate, for instance, to see them use their pressure to
drive Mr. Marcy to make a statement."

"Mr. Marcy? A statement?"

"Because," continued Mr. Brown in his tone of fatherly concern, "after
Mr. Marcy had stated what he knows about this case, I'm afraid there
wouldn't be much chance for you to win any high places by being loyal
to the people."

For a moment after this velvet threat Blake held upon Mr. Brown an
open-lipped, ashen face. Then, without a word, he leaned his elbows
upon his desk and buried his face in his hands. For a long space there
was silence in the room. Mr. Brown's eyes, kind no longer, but keenest
of the keen, watched the form before him, timing the right second to
strike again.