Page:Arthur Stringer - The Hand of Peril.djvu/206

 He knew that any such cry for quarter, from that proud spirit, was not easy of utterance.

"But it's not in my hands," he protested. "I'm only one small cog in the wheels of a huge machine they call the law."

"But what does that machine gain by grinding us down, now? What good can it do you, or your government, or the whole world, if you keep me from going back to the decent life I want to live?"

"My personal feelings have nothing to do with the matter. Do you imagine everything that has happened during the last few weeks has been merely a personal matter with me? That I haven't been driven into doing things that were odious to me? That I haven't always wanted to save you from what was ahead of you?"

"You can do that," she interrupted. "All I want is the chance to get away, to save myself from worse things than you can face me with! And you won't even believe me!"

Kestner sat for several moments without speaking.

"You must rather despise me," he ventured, as his meditative eyes met hers.

"Not so much as I despise myself!" was her slightly embittered answer. "And I don't blame you for anything. I think I understand, now. Sometimes I've been almost glad that you were doing what you were. I got a sort of relief from the thought that you were following us, every move we made. I've felt safer, lately, remembering you were somewhere near, even if it was to undo everything my