mington and Evans. When they explained the situation to
him his dry little face screwed up.

"Well, at least Genevieve will be all right," he muttered. "E. Eliot
will take care of her. But, boys--boys," he squeezed his hands and
rocked in misery, "the devil of it is that I gave Doolittle the money in
a check and then went and got another check from the Owners' Protective
Association and took the peak load off myself, and Doolittle was with
me when I got the P. A. check. We've simply got to protect him. And, of
course, what he knows, Noonan knows. We can't go tearing up Jack here,
calling police and raising the town!"

George Remington rose.

"Then I've got to let my wife lie in some dive with that unspeakable
Turk and that Mike the Goat while you men dicker with the scoundrels who
committed this crime!" he said. "My God, every minute is precious! We
must act. Let me call the chief of police and the sheriff----"

"All dear friends of Noonan's," Penny quietly reminded him. "They
probably have the same tip about what is on as you and Uncle Martin
have! Calm down, George! First, let me go out and learn when Noonan and
Doolittle are coming home! When we know that, we can----"

"Penny, I can't wait. I must act now. I must denounce the whole damnable
plot to the people of this country. I must not rest one second longer in
silence as an accessory. I shall denounce----"

"Yes, George, you shall denounce," exclaimed his partner. "But just
whom--yourself, that you did not warn Miss Eliot all day yesterday!"

"Yes," cried Remington, "first of all, myself as a coward!"

"All right. Next, then, your Uncle Martin Jaffry, who was earnestly
trying to help you in the only way he knew how to help! Why, George,
that would be----" "That would be the least I could do to let the people
see----"

"To let the people see that Mrs. Brewster-Smith and all your social
friends in this town are associated with Mike the Goat and his gang----"

Before Evans could finish, his partner stopped him.

"Yes, yes--the whole damned system of greed! The rich greed and the poor
greed--our criminal classes plotting to keep justice from the decent
law-abiding people of the place, who are led like sheep to the
slaughter. What did the owners pay that money for? Not for the dirty job
that was turned--not primarily. But to elect me, because they thought
I would not enforce the factory laws and the housing laws and would
protect them in their larceny! That