It was so in keeping with his theory of the
virtue of the swift and immediate punch, administered with the minimum
of preliminary sparring. There was a risk attached to the scheme which
appealed to him. Above all, he honestly believed that it would achieve
its object, the straightening out of the tangle which Ruth and Kirk had
made of their lives.
When once an idea had entered Steve's head he was tenacious of it. He
had come to the decision that Ruth needed what he called a jolt to
bring her to herself, much as a sleep-walker is aroused by the touch of
a hand, and he clung to it.
He interrupted Mr. Keggs in the middle of a speech touching on his
man's alleged yellow streak.
"Will you be at home to-night, colonel?" he asked.
"I certainly will, Mr. Dingle."
"Mind if I look in?"
"I shall be delighted. I can offer you a cigar that I think you'll
appreciate, and we can continue this little chat at our leisure. Mrs.
Winfield's dining out, and that there Porter, thank Gawd, 'as gone to
Boston."
Chapter IX
At One in the Morning
William Bannister Winfield slept the peaceful sleep of childhood in his
sterilized cot. The light gleamed faintly on the white tiles. It lit up
the brass knobs on the walls, the spotless curtains, the large
thermometer.
An intruder, interested in these things, would have seen by a glance at
this last that the temperature of the room was exactly that recommended
by doctors as the correct temperature for the nursery of a sleeping
child; no higher, no lower.
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