There was silence again. Scott saw that he had them with him.
“Let me talk to your real leaders,” he shouted. “Come down here, Sewall.”
Sewall walked slowly forward, and men on both sides stepped out of their hiding places to see him come, and crowded slowly in around the two.
“Where is Jarred Morgan?” Scott asked, when Sewall stepped out into the road.
“Probably in the store there,” one of the Waits suggested.
“He is not,” Scott replied loudly enough for all to hear. “He is up at his cabin dying of pneumonia.”
There was a murmur of surprise and incredulity. Sewall’s face showed genuine regret.
“And do you want to know what gave him the pneumonia?” Scott persisted, addressing himself directly to Sewall. “Because he jumped into the pool to save your child from drowning.”
“What?” Sewall gasped. “Did Jarred do that? She said it was a strange girl.”
“Vic took care of her,” Scott replied quietly, “but Jarred got her out and this morning he was dying as the result of it.”