ly _one_ principle, God. He
is the Christ-principle, you know, and that is way above party
principle."

Under the spell of the girl's strange words every emotion fled from
the men but that of amazement.

"Righteousness, you know, is right-thinking. And that touches just
that about which men are most chary, their pocketbooks."

She still held his hand. Then she arched her brows and said naively:
"You will find in yesterday's Express something about Avon. You will
not use your influence with Congress until you have read it, will
you?" And with that she left the room.

A deep quiet fell upon the men, upon the great executive and the great
apostle of privilege. It seemed to the one that as the door closed
against that bright presence the spirit of night descended; the other
sat wrapped in the chaos of conflicting emotions in which she always
left him.

Suddenly the President roused up. "Who is she?" he asked.

"She's the bastard daughter of a negro priest," replied Ames in an
ugly tone.

"What--she? That beautiful girl--! I don't believe it!"

"By God, she is!" cried the thoroughly angered Ames, bringing a huge
fist down hard upon the desk. "And I've got the proof! And, what's
more, she's head over heels in love with another renegade priest!

"But that's neither here nor there," he continued savagely. "I want to
know what you are going to do for us?"

"I--I do not see, Mr. Ames, that I can do anything," replied the
President meditatively.

"Well--will you leave the details to us, and do as we tell you then?"
the financier pursued, taking another tack.

The President hesitated. Then he raised his head. "You say you have
proof?" he asked.

"Proof?"

"Yes--about the girl, you--"

"Damn the girl!" almost shouted Ames. "I've got proofs that will ruin
her, and you too--and, by God, I'll use 'em, if you drive me to it!
You seem to forget that you were elected to do our bidding, my
friend!"

The President again lapsed into silence. For a long time he sat
staring at the floor. Then he looked up. "It was wonderful," he said,
"wonderful the way she faced you, like David before Goliath! There
isn't a vestige of fear in her make-up. I--we'll talk this matter over
some other time, Mr. Ames," he finished, rising abruptly.

"We'll talk it over now!" roared Ames, his self-control flying to the
winds. "I can ruin you--make your administration a laughing-stock--and
plunge this country into financial panic! Do you do as