"I have made a mess of this from the beginning," said Donnegan, quietly. "In the first place, I intended to play the role of the self-sacrificing. You don't understand? I didn't expect that you would. In short, I intended to send Landis back to Lou by making a flash that would dazzle The Corner, and dazzle Nelly Lebrun as well--win her away from Landis, you see? But the fool, as soon as he saw that I was flirting with the girl, lowered his head and charged at me like a bull. I had to strike him down in self-defense.
"But now you ask me to put him wholly in your possession. Colonel, you omit one link in your chain of reasoning. The link is important--to me. What am I to gain by placing him within the range of your whispering?"
"Tush! Do I need to tell you? I still presume you are interest
