em?"

Houston thought quickly. It was his only chance.

"I know exactly what their testimony will be."

"You've made arrangements for your suit then." Worthington's color had
changed. Houston noticed that the hand which held the cigarette
trembled slightly.

"No, I haven't. I'm not here to browbeat you, Mr. Worthington, or lie
to you. It came to me simply as a ruse to get in to see you. But the
more I think of it, the more I know that I could go through with it and
possibly win it. I might get my million. I might not. I don't want
money gained in that way. The taxpayers would have to foot the bill,
not yourself."

"Oh, I guess I'd pay enough," Worthington had assumed an entirely
different attitude now. "It would hurt me worse in business than it
would if I were still in office. Whether it's true or not."

"You know in your heart that there's no doubt of that."

Worthington did not answer. Houston waited a moment, then went on.

"But personally, I don't want to file the suit. I don't want any
money--that way. I don't want any bribes, or exculpations, or
statements from you that you know me to be innocent. Some might
believe it; others would only ask how much I paid to have that
statement given out. The damage has been done and is next to
irreparable. You could have cleared me easily enough by dropping the
case, or making your investigations before ever an indictment was
issued. You didn't, and I remain guilty in the minds of most of
Boston, in spite of what the jury said. A man is not guilty until
convicted--under the law. He is guilty as soon as accused, with the
lay mind. So you can't help me much there; my only chance for freedom
lies in finding the man who actually committed that murder. But that's
something else. We won't talk about it. You owe me something. And
I'm here to-night to ask you for it."

"I thought you said you didn't want any bribes."

"I don't. May I ask you what your margin of profit is at your
machinery company?"

"My margin of profit? What's that? Well, I suppose it runs around
twelve per cent."

"Then will you please allow me to give you twelve thousand dollars in
profits? I'm in the lumber business. I have a contract that runs into
the millions; surely that is good enough security to a man"--he
couldn't resist the temptation--"who knows my absolute innocence. It
isn't good enough for the bankers, who still believe me guilty, so I've
come directly to