u cannot prove that. She
does not love you, but me. Now if you want to kill me here is a gun."
He extended his hand. "Take your choice. If I am to die you might as
well die with me."

He said it so coolly, so firmly, that Sohlberg, who was an innate
coward, and who had no more desire to die than any other healthy
animal, paled. The look of cold steel was too much. The hand that
pressed them on him was hard and firm. He took hold of one, but his
fingers trembled. The steely, metallic voice in his ear was
undermining the little courage that he had. Cowperwood by now had
taken on the proportions of a dangerous man--the lineaments of a demon.
He turned away mortally terrified.

"My God!" he exclaimed, shaking like a leaf. "You want to keel me, do
you? I weel not have anything to do with you! I weel not talk to you! I
weel see my lawyer. I weel talk to my wife first."

"Oh, no you won't," replied Cowperwood, intercepting him as he turned
to go and seizing him firmly by the arm. "I am not going to have you
do anything of the sort. I am not going to kill you if you are not
going to kill me; but I am going to make you listen to reason for once.
Now here is what else I have to say, and then I am through. I am not
unfriendly to you. I want to do you a good turn, little as I care for
you. To begin with, there is nothing in those charges my wife made,
not a thing. I merely said what I did just now to see if you were in
earnest. You do not love your wife any more. She doesn't love you.
You are no good to her. Now, I have a very friendly proposition to
make to you. If you want to leave Chicago and stay away three years or
more, I will see that you are paid five thousand dollars every year on
January first--on the nail--five thousand dollars! Do you hear? Or you
can stay here in Chicago and hold your tongue and I will make it three
thousand--monthly or yearly, just as you please. But--and this is what
I want you to remember--if you don't get out of town or hold your
tongue, if you make one single rash move against me, I will kill you,
and I will kill you on sight. Now, I want you to go away from here and
behave yourself. Leave your wife alone. Come and see me in a day or
two--the money is ready for you any time." He paused while Sohlberg
stared--his eyes round and glassy. This was the most astonishing
experience of his life. This man was either devil or prince, or both.
"Good God!" he thought. "He will do