"
"I'm sorry," answered Banneker simply. "I've said I'd go through with
it."
Mr. Gordon selected a fresh knuckle for his modified drumming. "Have you
considered your duty to the paper, Mr. Banneker? If not, I advise you to
do so." The careful manner, more than the words, implied threat.
Banneker leaned forward as if for a confidential communication, as he
lapsed into a gross Westernism:
"Mr. Gordon, _I_ am paying for this round of drinks."
Somehow the managing editor received the impression that this remark,
delivered in just that tone of voice and in its own proper environment,
was usually accompanied by a smooth motion of the hand toward the pistol
holster.
Banneker, after asking whether there was anything more, and receiving a
displeased shake of the head, went away.
"Now," said he to the waiting Tommy Burt, "they'll probably fire me."
"Let 'em! You can get plenty of other jobs. But I don't think they will.
Old Gordon is really with you. It makes him sick to have to doctor
news."
Sleepless until almost morning, Banneker reviewed in smallest detail his
decision and the situation to which it had led. He thought that he had
taken the right course. He felt that Miss Camilla would approve. Judge
Enderby's personality, he recognized, had exerted some influence upon
his decision.
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