Between Friends

Graylock spoke in a voice that had a ghostly sound in the great

room: "Don't harm her, Drene. It is not necessary. I shall never see

her again--if that will content you."

Drene laughed: "I never saw my wife again. Did that help me? I

never saw her again, but as long as she lived I knew what she was

. . . My wife. And when she died, still my wife. There was no

relief--no relief."

Graylock, deathly white, framed his haggard face between his hands

and stared at nothing: "I know," he said. "I understand now. I am here to-night to pay

the reckoning."

"You can't pay it."

"No, not the whole score. There's another bill, I suppose, waiting

for me--somewhere. But I can settle my indebtedness to you--"

"How?"

"That's up to you, Drene."

"How?" repeated Drene, violently.

Graylock made a slight gesture with his head toward Drene's sagging

pocket: "That way if you like. Or," he added, "There is a harder

punishment."

"What is it?"

"To give her up."

"Yes," said Drene, "that is harder. But I can make it even harder

than that. I can make it as hard for you as you made it for me. I

can let you live through it."

He laughed, fisted in his pocket, drew out the lumpy automatic and

leisurely pushed the lever to "safe."

He said: "To kill you would be like opening the cell door for a

lifer. You know what you are while you're alive; maybe you'd forget

if you were dead. I--"

He ceased, fiddling absently with the dull-colored weapon on his

knee; and for a while they remained silent, not looking at each

other. And when Drene spoke again he was still intent upon the

automatic.

"If I knew what happens after a man dies I could act intelligently."

He shot an ugly look at Graylock: "I don't know about you, either.

You're a rat. But you might fool me at that. You might be repentant.

And in that case you'd get away--if it's true that the eleventh hour

is not too late. . . . If it's true that Christ is merciful. . . .

So I'll take no chances of a getaway. You might fool me--one way or

another--if you were dead."

Graylock lifted his head from his hands: "I don't know how much of

the other debt I've already paid, Drene. But I've paid heavily since

I knew her--if that is any satisfaction to you. And since I knew she

cared for you, and when I realized that you meant to strike me

through her--I have paid, heavily. . . . Yet, if you were honestly

in love with her--"