“Will you come with me now?”
“With you? Haven’t I had enough of you Trenders? I put it to you as a reasonable man.”
As he spoke the wail of a young child came through the window of an upper room of the house adjoining. At the sound he seized my wrists in one of his hands with the grip of iron forceps.
“Listen there!” he muttered. “That’s his child, do you hear? He perpetuates his wicked race without a scruple. Wouldn’t it be a good thing now to cut down the poisonous weed root and branch?”
I stared at him in horror. Hardly till this moment had the fact of Jason’s being married recurred to me since I first heard of it the night before.
“His child?” I echoed.
“What’s the fool gaping at? Would his pretty deception be complete without a wife and baby in the background to spur his fancy?”
The door of the adjoining house was opened and a light footfall came down the steps. I saw a devil leap into Duke’s eyes, and on the instant sprung at him.
He had me down directly, for his strength was fearful, but I clutched him frantically as I fell, and he couldn’t shake me off.
Struggling—sobbing—warding my head as best I could from his battering blows—I yet could find voice to cry from the ground—“Jason, in God’s name, run! He’s going to murder you!”