scale somewhat, “and they’ll have it for you in five minutes.”
“Why, Emmet,” said Kitchin quietly, and yet with a trace of mockery and ridicule on his dark, handsome, and rather sly face. “We don’t need fifty thousand dollars. You know, we’re not trying to buy the whole damned jail. Now, I thought,” he went on quietly and ironically, “that all we needed was about thirty or forty—say fifty dollars—to make up the fine and get us out of town.”
“Yes,” said Robert in a quick excited tone of vigorous agreement. “You’re absolutely right! That’s all we need, all right!”
“All right! All right! Go to the Blake dealer! Go to the Blake dealer! That’s what I’m telling you,” cried Blake with an arrogant impatience. “He’ll give you anything you want.—What are you waiting for?” he cried furiously. “Go on! Go on!”
“But Emmet,” said Kitchin quietly and reasonably, in his dark low voice, as he looked at the cheque which Blake had scrawled out for him. “This cheque you’ve given me is for five hundred dollars. Hadn’t you better make out another one for fifty? You know, we don’t need five hundred dollars, Emmet. And besides,” he suggested tactfully, “the man might not have that much on hand. Hadn’t you better give me one just made out for what we need?”
“He’ll have it! He’s got it! He’s got to have it!” said Blake with a dogmatic and unreasoning arrogance. “Tell him I sent you and you’ll get the money right away!”
Kitchin did not answer him: he thrust the cheque into his pocket and turned to Eugene, saying quietly:
“Didn’t you say your brother was waiting to meet you here at a hotel?”
“Yes: he expected to meet me at four o’clock when that service car came in.”
“At what hotel?”
“The Blackstone—listen, Kitchin,” he reached through the bar and grabbed him by the arm, with a feeling of cold horror in his heart. “For Christ’s sake, don’t drag my brother into this,” he whispered. “Kitchin—listen to me! If you can get this money from the Blake agent here, for God’s sake, do it! What’s the use of bringing my brother into it,” he pleaded, “when it’s all between the four of us, and can stay that way? I don’t want my family to know I ever got into any trouble like this. Kitchin, look here—I can get the money for my fine: I’ve got a little money in the bank, and I’ll pay Blake every cent I owe him if you get
