at I'm
your friend, your best friend, about your _only_ friend!"

"You fool--" began Langham.

Gilmore quitted his chair at a bound and strode to Langham's side.

"None of that, Marsh!" he protested sternly, placing a heavy hand on
Langham's shoulder. "I see we got to understand each other, you and me!
You don't take hints; I have to bang it into you with a club or you
don't see what I'm driving at--"

"I've paid you all I owe you, Gilmore!" said Langham conclusively. "You
can't hold that over me any longer."

"I don't want to!" retorted Gilmore quietly.

"You kept your thumb on me good and hard while you could!"

"Not half so hard as I am going to if you try to get away from me now--"

"What do you mean by these threats?" cried Langham.

The gambler laughed in his face.

"You've paid me all you owe me, but I want to ask you just one question.
Where did you get the money?"

"That," said Langham, steadying himself by a mighty effort, "is none of
your business!"

"Think not?" and again Gilmore laughed, but before his eyes, fierce,
compelling, Langham's glance wavered and fell.

"I got the money from my father," he muttered huskily.

"You're a liar!" said the gambler. "I know where you got that money, and
you know I know." There was a long pause, and then Gilmore jerked out:

"But don't you worry about that. In your own fashion you have been my
friend, and it's dead against my creed to go back on a friend unless he
tries to throw me down; so don't you make the mistake of doing that, or
I'll spoil your luck! You think you got North where you want him; don't
you be too sure of that! There's one person, just one, who can clear
him, at least there's only one who is likely to try, and I'll tell you
who it is--it's your wife--" For an instant Langham thought Gilmore had
taken leave of his senses, but the gambler's next question filled him
with vague terror.

"Where was she late that afternoon, do you know?"

"What afternoon?" asked Langham.

Gilmore gave him a contemptuous glance.

"Thanksgiving afternoon, the afternoon of the murder," he snapped.

"She was at my father's, she dined there," said Langham slowly.

"That may be true enough, but she didn't get there until after six
o'clock--I'll bet you what you like on that, and I'll bet you, too, that
I know where she was from five to six. Do you take me up? No? Of course
you don't! Well, I'll tell you all the same. She was in North's rooms--"

"You lie,