ubbles throng riotously up
from the bottom. "Yes," he said thoughtfully, "I want you to
help me. I've been waiting for you. I knew you'd turn up
again." He laughed. "I've been true to you in a way--a man's
way. I've hunted the town for women who suggested you--a poor
sort of makeshift--but--I had to do something."

"What were you going to tell me?"

Her tone was business-like. He did not resent it, but
straightway acquiesced. "I'll plunge right in. I've been, as
you know, a bad one--bad all my life. I was born bad. You
know about my mother and father. One of my sisters died in a
disreputable resort. The other--well, the last I heard of
her, she was doing time in an English pen. I've got a
brother--he's a degenerate. Well!--not to linger over rotten
smells, I was the only one of the family that had brains. I
soon saw that everybody who gets on in the world is bad--which
simply means doing disturbing things of one kind and another.
And I saw that the ordinary crooks let their badness run their
brains, while the get-on kind of people let their brains run
their badness. You can be rotten--and sink lower and lower
every day. Or you can gratify your natural taste for
rottenness and at the same time get up in the world. I made up
my mind to do the rotten things that get a man money and power."

"Respectability," said Susan.

"Respectability exactly. So I set out to improve my brains.
I went to night school and read and studied. And I didn't
stay a private in the gang of toughs. I had the brains to be
leader, but the leader's got to be a fighter too. I took up
boxing and made good in the ring. I got to be leader. Then
I pushed my way up where I thought out the dirty work for the
others to do, and I stayed under cover and made 'em bring the
big share of the profits to me. And they did it because I had
the brains to think out jobs that paid well and that could be
pulled off without getting pinched--at least, not always
getting pinched."

Palmer sipped his champagne, looked at her to see if she was
appreciative. "I thought you'd understand," said he. "I
needn't go into details. You remember about the women?"

"Yes, I remember," said Susan. "That was one step in the
ladder up?"

"It got me the money to make my first play for respectability.
I couldn't have got it any other way. I had extravagant
tastes--and the leader has to be always giving up to help this
fellow and that out of the hole