ife. A
break with him now would plunge me into abject misery. What are you
going to say? Are you going to attack Cal? You don't have to do that,
Jim! Promise me you won't, for my sake, if you care nothing for the
brilliant future that is just opening before you. You do care something
for me in spite of all the wrong I have done you in the past."

The young lawyer remained silent.

"Promise me," she pleaded tenderly, a tear stealing into her dark eyes.

"I'm going to do my level best for my old friend, Nan," he answered
with dogged determination. "You needn't worry about your husband. He
has the hide of a rhinoceros and nothing I can say will get under his
skin."

"But that's just the trouble, Jim, it will. If any other man said it,
no; but from you it will cut deeper than you can realize. You are the
one man who can hurt him beyond forgiveness, because you're the one man
on earth for whom he really cares."

"It will be all right, Nan. Men know how to give and take hard knocks
and still be friends. We challenged each other to this duel when there
was no other way."

"I never saw him so bent on any one thing in my life. His hatred of
Woodman is a mania."

"I'm sorry--I'm fighting for my old friend's life. He wouldn't live in
a prison a year. And I'm fighting for the life of his little girl who
loves and believes in him as she believes in the goodness of God. If
her father is branded a felon, it will kill her."

Nan tried to speak again and her voice failed. At last she said:

"Well, I'm going to sit where I can look straight into your face and if
you say or do one thing that will destroy our friendship or ruin your
future I shall scream--I know it!"

Stuart smiled and pressed her hand.

"You've too much good sense and self-control for that. I'll risk it.
Now I must hurry. Our case will be called in a few minutes."

He turned abruptly and left her.

In a moment Bivens came out and led his wife to a seat which had been
reserved near his.

One of the things which had increased Bivens's nervousness was the fact
that the judge ignored his presence in the court room. He had been
accustomed to deference from judges. Here was a new thing under the
sun--a judge in an insignificant city court who coolly sat on the bench
before him for an hour, sentencing criminals, and never even glanced in
his direction. Evidently the man didn't know him. It was amazing, this
ignorance of the average New Yorker.

The truth, of