Armstrong froze.
"Note—five thousand!" he said, unbelieving. "For stock worth two hundred thousand on the market? Impossible!"
"It is illegal, but it's not impossible," said Mansfield. "It is a fact. All Macgowan wants is to remain in power. This gives him a clear voting majority, of course."
Armstrong pulled himself together.
"Wait!" he said. "Wait! There's something else you don't know—"
The two men looked at him, startled by his manner. He met the gaze of Dorns, and laughed bitterly.
"Good thing you're here, Dorns," he said. "I just had a long distance call from our Chicago manager. He had some information for me. I've been indicted in Springfield, Illinois, for perjury in connection with the sale of Food Products stock. Macgowan wanted the indictment for use during the campaign, of course—well, he has it now."
CHAPTER XI
"The difference between you and Macgowan," said Robert Dorns, "is that he's got the law on his side—and you're on the side of the law. It ain't much difference at first sight, but when you get down to cases it's a whale of a difference!"