damage their own financial moves. Suppose
the United States government agreed to your proposition and took the
sole possession and proprietorship of your discovery, and gave you
their written, signed and sealed pledge to use it, it doesn't at all
follow that they would not break that pledge at the first opportunity.
In these days governments break promises as easily as eggshells. And
there would be ample excuse for breaking the pledge to you--simply on
the ground of inhumanity."

"War is inhumanity"--said Seaton--"The use of my discovery would be no
worse than war."

"Granted!--but war makes money for certain sections of the
community,--you must think of that!" and Gwent's little shrewd eyes
gleamed like bits of steel.--"Money!--money! Stores--food,
clothing--transport--all these things in war mean fortunes to the
contractors--while the wiping out of a nation in YOUR way would mean
loss of money. Loss of life wouldn't matter,--it never does really
matter--not to governments!--but loss of money--ah, well!--that's a
very different and much more serious affair!"

A cynical smile twisted his features as he spoke, and Roger Seaton,
standing opposite to him with his fine head well thrown back on his
shoulders and his whole face alive with the power of thought, looked
rather like a Viking expostulating with some refractory vassal.

"So you think the United States wouldn't take my 'discovery?'" he
said--"Or--if they took it--couldn't be trusted to keep a pledged word?"

Gwent shrugged his shoulders.

"Of course our government could be trusted as much as any other
government in the world,"--he said--"Perhaps more. But it would
exonerate itself for breaking even a pledged word which necessitated an
inhuman act involving loss of money! See? War is an inhuman act, but it
brings considerable gain to those who engineer it,--this makes all the
difference between humanity and INhumanity!"

"Well!--you are a senator, and you ought to know!" replied Seaton--"And
if your opinion is against my offer, I will not urge you to make it.
But--as I live and stand here talking to you, you may bet every dollar
you possess that if neither the United States nor any other government
will accept the chance I give it of holding the nations like dogs in
leash, I'll hold them myself! I! One single unit of the overteeming
millions! Yes, Mr. Senator Gwent, I swear it! I'll be master of the
world!"

CHAPTER XII

Gwent was silent. With me