Dennis Doane was not a man of great thinking capacity. If he got a matter into his head it stayed there till it was dislodged, and dislodging was a real business with him.
“If you want her to live with you again, you had better let this be as it is,” whispered Fleda, for the crowd were surging round and cheering the new hero. “Just escaped the roof falling in,” said one.
“Got the strength of two, for a drunk man weighs twice as heavy as a sober one!” exclaimed another admiringly.
“Marchand’s game is up on the Sagalac,” declared a third decisively.
The excitement was so great, however, that only a very few of them knew what they were saying, and fewer still knew that Dennis Doane had risked his life to save the man he had been stalking for weeks past. Marchand had been lying on his face in the smoke-filled room when Dennis broke into it, and he had been carried down the stairs without his face being seen at all.
To Dennis it was as though he had been made a fool of by Fate or Providence, or whatever controlled the destinies of men; as though the dangerous episode had been arranged to trap him into this situation.
Ingolby drew near and laid a hand upon Dennis’s arm. Fleda’s hand was on the other arm.
“You can’t kill a man and save him too,” said Ingolby quietly, and holding the abashed blue eyes of Dennis. “There were two ways to punish him; taking away his life at great cost, or giving it him at great cost. If you’d taken away his life, the cost would probably have been your own life; in giving him his life you only risked your own; you had a chance to save it. You’re a bit scorched-hair, eyebrows, moustache, clothes too, but he’ll have brimstone inside him. Come along. Your wife would rather have it this way; and so will you, to-morrow. Come along.”
Dennis suddenly swung round with a gesture of fury. “He spoiled her-treated her like dirt!” he cried huskily.
With savage purpose he made a movement towards where Marchand had lain; but Marchand was gone. With foresight Ingolby had quickly and quietly accomplished that while Dennis’s back was turned.