I. A. R. Wylie

“ She reflected that it was an ordinary car and that the chauffeur had an innocent, stupid face, and that between them, unless men were to die for nothing, they carried the world's future. It lay there, smooth and neat, in her suitcase, and if an accident could have destroyed it, she would have thanked God. For it was hers. He had given it her—almost without conditions. And at first it had all seemed terribly, but splendidly, easy. She saw Napier as a man crazed with overwork and herself as making good the evil he had done. ”

“ HE WONDERED about the other men who had stood where he was standing, and was sorry for them. Guilty or innocent, he knew their loneliness. The dock seemed to hold him up like a strange wild animal for the world to gape at. To the right of him was the fashionable audience, rustling and craning to have a better view—to the left, the jury, who were to decide what sort of animal he was—mad or bad or harmless—opposite him, on a higher level, a spot of vivid color in the murky atmosphere, the Judge himself, who knew what had to be done with dangers to society. ”

“ Margaret Elroy's name was never spoken.
Then it was Napier himself. He made his statement patiently and quietly. Yes, he had refused to make his country invincible. That was what it amounted to. The jury of twelve plain, common-sense men blinked at him. So he was that sort—a conscientious objector, a pacifist (who had killed a man) —a Bolshevik, something at any rate outside the herd—defiant of the herd's ideals. And the herd instinct in them grew red and angry. They wanted to destroy him. These twelve ordinary, pacific men were stirred with a sudden blood-lust. ”

“ How do you know what'll happen to any of us?”
He had lost his respect. The restraints between them were broken down by his fear. She thought, “If every one were afraid like this, we should tear each other to pieces.” Then she steadied with a sudden tremendous realization. She lifted her head, and her proud eyes swept the beloved country under the dark, threatening sky. In a few days she would be free of her promise. Then, through Napier and in spite of him, this little bit of land would be mistress of the world. ”

“ Napier laughed, though the laugh hurt all over his body. “That was to have been Sewell's explanation.”
Elroy did not heed him. “But if justice is to be diverted, it can only be for reasons of national security. Mr. Napier has got to justify us.”
He waited, and then his tone changed, and became human and almost pleading: “Come—you're a young man still—you have everything before you. To a man who serves his country as you will have done, everything will be possible.” ”

“ She saw that Napier knew. His body rested against the table in a crumpled, broken attitude, and all the life he had left seemed to have gathered in his face like a beaten army taking its last stand.
“I want to speak to Margaret alone,” he said, “Then I can answer you.”
He spoke with authority, and Elroy yielded, shrugging his shoulders.
“I can give you only five minute: Every moment makes our position more ambiguous.” ”

“ And then because she couldn't—because of that something in him which drew and held her—a pitiless resentment rose in her like a flood of poison. She had been dragged out of her course; she didn't belong here. She belonged to the light-hearted people who would dance without her tonight at the Leversons' ball—who never did anything violent unless everybody did it. It was cruel that she should love a man who was a murderer and perhaps a traitor—whose touch and voice turned everything that was real to her into nothing. ”

“ I can't get angry—I'm like an executioner—I can't help myself.”
“Don't—you cursed sanctimonious humbug!”
“I'm not that, anyway. I'm doing for myself, too.”
Sewell nodded. “They'll hang you, my dear fellow—don't forget. And there'll be an end to you, and Margaret Elroy will marry some one else, and thank her God—”
“I dare say. It doesn't matter. Sewell, can't you see that it can't matter—our happiness—my honor—what does it all mean compared to the fate of the whole world? ”

“ For she could only pretend to herself that he was mad. In her heart she recognized the high serenity that had possessed him. She knew without understanding that he had never been more splendidly sane than when he had destroyed himself. And there was that fineness in him, frightening and disturbing, because it shook her faith in the fineness of her world. ”

“ There was sweat about Sewell's mouth, and his eyes under the fine brows, were dangerous
“What's in your mind?” he demanded brutally “What do you want?”
“To bury our knowledge in ourselves and pray to Heaven that it will never come to light until men are sane enough to use it.”
“You're mad, yourself.”
Napier made a gesture of despair. “I used to think that knowledge could never be evil. But it's like everything else—it depends on us—and we're not good enough.” ”

“ Come, Napier, you and Sewell are not men given to exaggerations. And on our side you know we are men of honor. You can trust us. Like you, we have our country's welfare at heart. It is of paramount importance to us all—compared to which our personal interests are as nothing If your claims are justified, you will have done more for England than any man living. ”

“ It was warm with life. A fire that had once blazed genially, glimmered to meet her. A carefully shaded candle threw down a pale light from the mantelpiece. Yes it was a dream. Peter's room, luxurious and shabby, and Peter's long, slim legs stretched out to the last warmth. She could not have cried out. So long and slim and graceful, And above them—in the shadow of the big chair—nothing—nothing recognizable—a hulk—limbless—and something white—a sheet of paper—a mask with slits—an awful caricature that turned slowly toward her with its unchanging stare—its grin—
“Who is it—?” ”

“ I've told you—every man for himself—you fool—”
Napier had turned to the door. He set his back to it. “Well, you know my course.”
“You humbug—and now I'm going to tell you mine.”
HE DRAGGED open the drawer of the table by which he stood. Napier heard a click, but for a moment Sewell's hand was hidden. They faced each other, and the years of their companionship were wiped out. They were not even themselves, but representatives of vast, opposing forces. They were irreconcilable, and in Napier's recognition of the inevitability of what was to happen there was pity and horror. ”

“ Peter had always seemed in the right. He was so splendidly sure. One's country first and always. And yet what was it some woman had said—some woman who had died in that last war—died very bravely, “Patriotism isn't enough.” What had she meant—what had Napier meant? Why had he killed a man and every hope of happiness? ”

“ But that was not their real reason. In their hearts they knew that it was fine for a man to have thought not of himself, nor his friend, nor his love, nor his country, but of all of them—over the whole world. ”

“ Sewell made his first gesture—one of anger and resentment.
“I suppose you think I hadn't the right?”
“No—I don't think you had.”
“Why not? I gave nothing away. You can be sure of that. Elroy only knows there is something.”
“That's too much,”
“I don't see that. It isn't as though we weren't absolutely ready. There's no harm done in getting the market warm, as it were.”
“You talk as though you were selling a new soap.”
“Well, we are selling something, aren't we? This is a commercial age, my dear Napier. The day has gone by when scientists starved in their garrets. ”

“ They were like duellists who have no means of measuring each other's strength. But there was danger—they knew that—both of them.
It was Sewell who spoke at last. His hands were idle now, but he went on staring down at them. With his heavy, lowered head he looked up, like a bull, threatening and motionless. “I've seen Elroy,” he said; “I had an interview with him tonight.”
“I guessed as much,” Napier answered. ”

“ There'll be no war, never, never. They won't dare—no one will ever dare again. The destroyer would be destroyed. Great armies—great navies—they won't help. One day they'll seem like foolish toys to us. We'll have to be decent and have pity and understanding for one another— The nightmare is over. ”

“ I'm not sanctimonious about myself. I'm an ordinary man. I have something to sell, and I mean to sell it.”
“You have me to reckon with,” Napier interrupted heavily.
“Yes. You're my partner. I took you into partnership. It was my money. Don't forget that. But I mean to deal fairly with you. What I get, you'll get. But I'll sell all the same, and you can't stop me.”
“I can make your merchandise valueless to you.”
They had not moved, and yet they seemed to be drawing insensibly nearer—to be closing down on each other. Sewell's stare had become glazed and almost stupid. ”

“ Napier remained silent. Counsel leaned toward him, pointing a denunciatory finger. He was very able. Alternately he made the man before him into a charlatan and a mean traitor who would have sold to the enemy at a greater price. Sewell became the patriot martyr. Suddenly Napier cut short the flood of questions and innuendo.
“I have told you that I killed him. We made our discovery a thousand years too soon. I was responsible. There is no country fit to hold such power.” ”

“ Edstein had come to see her just before she left, and she had an idea that he suspected something and that he was warning her. He told her about Napier and the operation that had saved his life, the ready tears coming into his brown eyes, because, as he said, he knew that Napier had wanted to die.
“You see, he won't defend himself in the only way that could help. He'll tell the truth, and if war breaks out and people hear that he might have knocked the enemy down in the first round, they'll want to lynch him. He won't have a chance with a jury. He'll seem like a traitor to them. ”

“ They were so decent and grave-looking that for a moment Napier thought they were the undertakers come for his and Sewell's body. Then he recognized Elroy and nearly laughed. For, of course, Elroy wasn't an undertaker—though he would have made a very good one with that white, inexpressive face. He was Prime Minister of England and Margaret's father.
The other two men he knew also. Elderly, celebrated fellows with professorships and titles and God knows what. They had always thought him a little mad, mainly because he wouldn't snatch at a safe career, but went muddling along after unknown gods. ”

“ Sewell flung back. “You can't stop men from finding things out—and if they destroy themselves. that's their affair. It will be us or some one else. It's going to be us. Besides, for years, it will be in the hands of a very few.”
“Who will have it in their power to bully or destroy the rest.”
“They will be our people. We might have got more out of the French or the Germans. who would bleed themselves white for such a chance.”
“Our people aren't to be trusted.”
“My dear Napier!” ”

“ Every one died sooner or later. And war was a splendid business. A man's life—a sort of big-game hunt, with men for your quarry and men to hunt you— No one had ever been sorry for Peter.
IT WASN'T a case of happiness any more. Happiness was gone. If she could just do the right thing. She had all the power in the world, and she was only a girl. There was Robert Napier on one side, and every one she knew and trusted against him. They were indignant with her for listening to him.
“The fellow's crazy. It was Sewell's work as much as his, and Sewell meant to play the game. ”

“ Whereat the slender, graceful legs struggled to their feet, the bulk stood up, turning gropingly toward the light, beating at with its empty sleeves, striking against it with its shapeless mass—like some huge, dreadful moth. ”

“ She took the key from his icy hand.
“Hide it, Margaret. Lie to them, dear—” He smiled faintly, with a piteous quaintness. “Women have always wanted power. Now you have all the power in the world—”
He fumbled for the telephone, and she watched him, hypnotized by a sense of tragic inevitability. He was like a mad god, marching steadily to his own ruin.
“What are you doing, Robert?”
“I'm ringing for the police. I'm not giving you the chance to buy me—you must choose without that.”
THE nightmare closed down again. The police. ”

“ Sewell went on with increasing fluency. “We must expect that, and no harm can be done. Even if their cursed specialists got track of anything, it would take them years to reach our point. But Elroy knows that men of our standing wouldn't make claims they couldn't substantiate. He's a man of action, and what we have to sell he wants now. It is the psychological moment. Why, with this new war looming he wouldn't dare let such a chance slip.”
He waited. Still Napier was silent. ”

“ In one of these patches he saw his lodging house room and the safe, and inside the safe a neat pile of papers. They were a long way off, but he knew he must get them somehow. Even as he looked at them, they fluttered and came to life, taking on hideous and monstrous shapes. He could see pestilence and death fingering the lock, trying to get out. He shook his head at the awful, beastly things.
“No, you don't—” he said. “I'm not dead yet, you know.”
By daybreak he had managed to drag himself back into the laboratory. He found that his wound was in his left shoulder, near the apex of the lung. ”

“ Napier had in his mind when he brought you into this,” he said with a cold bitterness. “Mr. Napier's mind is a mystery to most of us. But since you are here, you may as well know the whole position. We have got to act very quickly. Mr. Napier holds, we believe, a secret which is of unparalleled importance. I tell him that it is not his to conceal. It belongs to his country Sewell thought so. Sewell was prepared to place it in our hands. Sewell is dead. Mr. Napier killed him, and we have to deal with Mr. Napier alone. ”