That he might be involved in trouble, he had reason to
fear; for he was one of the party engaged in gambling in Green's
room, as both Mr. Jacobs and I had witnessed.
"This is dreadful business," said he, as we met, face to face,
half an hour afterward. He did not look me steadily in the eyes.
"It is horrible!" I answered. "To corrupt and ruin a young man,
and then murder him! There are few deeds in the catalogue of crime
blacker than this!"
"It was done in the heat of passion," said the landlord, with
something of an apology in his manner. "Green never meant to kill
him."
"In peaceful intercourse with his fellow-men, why did he carry a
deadly weapon? There was murder in his heart, sir."
"That is speaking very strongly."
"Not stronger than the facts will warrant," I replied. "That Green
is a murderer in heart, it needed not this awful consummation to
show. With a cool, deliberate purpose, he has sought, from the
beginning, to destroy young Hammond."
"It is hardly fair," answered Slade, "in the present feverish
excitement against Green, to assume such a questionable position.
It may do him a great wrong."
"Did Willy Hammond speak only idle words, when he accused Green of
having followed him like a thirsty bloodhound?--of having robbed,
and cheated, and debased him from the beginning?"
"He was terribly excited at the moment."
"Yes," said I, "no ear that heard his words could for an instant
doubt that they were truthful utterances, wrung from a maddened
heart.
Pages:
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156