identified Elliot as one of his assailants? The
thing was preposterous.

And yet--that was plainly what he had meant to imply. If he told such a
story, things would go hard with Gordon. In court it would clinch the
case against him by supplying the one missing link in the chain of
circumstantial evidence.

Diane, in deep thought, frowned down upon the wounded man, who seemed
already to have fallen into a light sleep. She told herself that this
was some of Wally Selfridge's deviltry. Anyhow, she would talk it over
with Peter.

CHAPTER XVIII

GORDON SPENDS A BUSY EVENING

Paget smoked placidly, but the heart within him was troubled. It looked
as if Selfridge had made up his mind to frame Gordon for a prison
sentence. The worst of it was that he need not invent any evidence
or take any chances. If Macdonald came through on the stand with an
identification of Elliot as one of his assailants, the young man would
go down the river to serve time. There was enough corroborative
testimony to convict St. Peter himself.

It all rested with Macdonald--and the big Scotch-Canadian was a very
uncertain quantity. His whole interests were at one in favor of getting
Elliot out of the way. On the other hand--how far would he go to save
the Kamatlah claims and to remove this good-looking rival from his path?
Peter could not think he would stoop to perjury against an innocent man.

"I'm just telling you what he said," Diane explained. "And it worried
me. His smile was cynical. I couldn't help thinking that if he wants to
get even with Gordon--"

Mrs. Paget stopped. The maid had just brought into the room a visitor.
Diane moved forward and shook hands with him. "How do you do, Mr.
Strong? Take this big chair."

Hanford Strong accepted the chair and a cigar. Though a well-to-do
mine-owner, he wore as always the rough clothes of a prospector. He came
promptly to the object of his call.

"I don't know whether this is where I should have come or not. Are you
folks for young Elliot or are you for Selfridge?" he demanded.

"If you put it that way, we're for Elliot," smiled Peter.

"All right. Let me put it another way. You work for Mac. Are you on his
side or on Elliot's in this matter of the coal claims?"

Diane looked at Peter. He took his time to answer.

"We hope the coal claimants will win, but we've got sense enough to see
that Gordon is in here to report the facts. That's what he is paid for.
He'll tell the truth