“Why, nothing of great importance, perhaps, while you are getting into the harness. Possibly court work, as a starter. You’ve had experience in that, eh?”
Cass reflected again. The temptation was tremendous. That little house which he had passed and stopped to look at so wistfully every night on his way home was now within his grasp.
He glanced up at the great man, sitting so calmly before him. Then he thought suddenly of Avon. Then of Carmen.
“Mr. Ames,” he said, “if I enter your employ, it must be with the stipulation that I shall have nothing to do with the Ketchim trial.”
Ames’s face went suddenly dark. “If you enter my employ, sir, it will be with the stipulation that you do as I say,” he returned coldly.
And then the young lawyer saw through the mask. And his anger flamed high at what he discerned behind it. He rose and faced the great man.
“Mr. Ames,” said he, “you have made a mistake. I am poor, and I need business. But I have not as yet fallen so completely under the spell of fortune-hunting as to sell my honor to a man like you! To enter your employ, I now see, would mean the total loss of character and self respect. It would mean a lowering of my ideals, whatever they may be, to your own vulgar standard. I may have done wrong in becoming associated with Mr. Ketchim. In fact, I know that I have. But I pledged myself to assist him. And yet, in doing so, I scarcely can blacken my reputation to the extent that I should were I to become your legal henchman. I want wealth. But there are some terms upon which even I can not accept it. And your terms are among them. I bid you good morning.”
Ames gave a snort of anger when Cass went out. Summoning Hood, he vented his great wrath upon that individual’s bald pate. “And now,” he concluded, “I want that fellow Cass so wound up that he will sneak off to a lonely spot and commit suicide! And if you can’t do it, then I’ll accept your resignation!”
“Very well, sir,” replied Hood. “And, by the way, Mr. Ames, I have just learned that Judge Harris, father of the young man who came up with that girl, is in Colombia. Seems that he’s taken some wealthy man down there to look at La Libertad mine.”