f he'd been one of
this gang? If you'd got this gang, with him in it? Would you've let
him go and hanged the others? Tell me. Tell me right here and now."

The man sprang from his seat. He moved away to the window.

"You're talking foolish," he flung over his shoulder. "It's not the
position. My brother's deserts aren't in question. It's Evie's act.
My wife's act. You're a woman and defend her. How could you be
expected to see a man's point of view?"

"There can be no man's point of view in it," Nan cried warmly. "I
guess there's just one point. The point of right and justice. In
justice she's not done a thing to make you act this way. For your
sake, for hers, for the sake of justice you'll have to go back to her."

The man swung round.

"You'd have me go back to her?" he cried in fierce derision. "Say,
you're crazy! Go back to her feeling as I do?"

"Feeling as you've no right to feel," Nan retorted swiftly. Then in a
flash her voice changed, dropping to a note of deep tenderness and
sympathy. "Say, Jeff, won't you go back? Won't you?" she pleaded.
"Think of all it means to her, to you. Think of a poor woman driven to
the depths of despair for a shadow you've nursed in your brain these
years. That's what it comes to. I know. Oh, Jeff, as sure as ther's
just a great big God above us you'll pay for it if you don't. You
surely will."

The man shifted his gaze. The lids of his eyes drooped and hid from
the waiting girl all that passionate feeling he had not hesitated to
display. She wondered as she waited. She was fearful, too.

In the man every sort of emotion was surging through him in a chaotic
tangle. Nothing seemed clear; anger, revolting, even hatred, all
fought for place. And through it all the pleading tones of the girl
would not be denied.

After a moment he suddenly flung out his arms.

"I--I just can't, Nan!" he cried desperately.

A wave of relief swept through Nan's heart. He was yielding, and she
knew it. His manner had completely and abruptly changed. She drew
nearer to him. Every honest art of persuasion was in her tender
manner. All self was forgotten in that moment of spiritual purpose.

"But you can--if you will," she said, her brown eyes uplifted to his.
"There isn't a thing you can't do--and you will. And this is so small,
Jeff. So small. Just think of that great big God somewhere up above
waiting, waiting to help you. He's always waiting to help us--