“Yes,” returned Carmen calmly. “I overheard all you said. I saw you bribe him.”
Ames stood like a huge, black cloud, glowering down upon the slender girl. She looked up at him and smiled.
“You are going to tell him that the fifty thousand dollars are just a loan, and that he may vote as he chooses, aren’t you?” she said. “You will not ruin his life, and the lives of his wife and babies, will you? You would never be happy, you know, if you did.” Her voice was as quiet as the morning breeze.
“So!” the giant sneered. “You come into my house to play spy, eh? And if I had not caught you when I did you would have written another interesting article for the Social Era, wouldn’t you? By God! I’ll break you, Haynerd, and your infernal sheet into a million pieces if you dare print any such rot as this! And as for you, young lady––”
“You can do nothing to me, Mr. Ames; and you don’t really want to,” said Carmen quickly. “My reputation, you know––that is, the one which you people have given me––is just as black as it could be, isn’t it? So that is safe.” She laughed lightly.
Then she became very serious again. “It doesn’t really make any difference to you, Mr. Ames,” she said, “whether the cotton schedule is passed or not. You still have your millions––oh, so much more than you will ever know what to do with! But Mr. Wales, he has his wife and his babies and his good reputation––would you rob him of those priceless treasures, just to make a few dollars more for yourself?––dollars that you can’t spend, and that you won’t let others have?”
During the girl’s quiet talk Ames was regaining his self-control. When she concluded he turned to Haynerd. “Miss Carmen can step out into the balcony. You and I will arrange this matter together,” he said.
Carmen moved toward the door.
“Now,” said Ames significantly, and in a low voice, “what’s your price?”
Instantly the girl turned back and threw herself between 55 the two men. “He is not for sale!” she cried, her eyes flashing as she confronted Ames.