Yes, he was beaten. How could a man hope by clean methods to stand against such powers as Caleb Conover possessed, and did not scruple to use? The fight had been hard. And now it was over. He had done his best. No one could have done more. And he had failed. The reaction from the violent physical and mental strain of the riot was upon Standish. Hope, vitality, even self-trust were at their very ebb. A knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” he called wearily, supposing Ansel was coming back for something he had left. “Thanks, I will,” replied Billy Shevlin, sidling into the room and closing the door behind him. Clive stared in blank astonishment at his unexpected visitor. The latter grinned pleasantly and sat himself down, unasked, in a chair near the door, tucking his derby hat between his feet. “Good evening, Mr. Standish,” said Billy. “Pleased to see you again. ‘Same here,’ says you,” he added, after an embarrassed little pause which Clive made no move to break. “What do you want?” asked the candidate at last. “Just a little gabfest with you. That’s all. I——” “You come with a message from Mr. Conover?” “Not me. I ain’t seen the Boss this ten days.” “I thought you were his special henchman,” said Clive, amused in spite of himself by the heeler’s ingratiating manner, and puzzled as to the cause of this midnight call. “The Boss’s _what_?” queried Billy. “His ‘henchman,’ I said. Aren’t——” “No, I ain’t. I don’t know just what a hench-person is, but _I_ ain’t one. This ain’t the first time I’ve been called that. Some day when I get time I’m goin’ to look it up in the dicshunary. An’ if it means what I think it does, I’m going to lick——” “I wouldn’t bother if I were you. But you haven’t told me why you’re here.” “Well,” responded Shevlin, with an air of casting all possible reserve to the winds, “I wanted you to kind of get a line on what you’re up against. Why not take your medicine graceful and quit?” “Is that any affair of yours?” “Sure, it’s my affair. Do you s’pose I’m settin’ here just to hand out ree-fined conversation with you this time of night? You’ve put me to a whole lot of bother lately, Mr. Standish. I’ve had all I could do sometimes to block the game ahead of you on this tour. An’ then, to-night——” “So it was you——” “I done my best,” assented Shevlin modestly. “Hold on!” he continued, as Clive jumped up. “Hold on, Mr. Standish! Don’t you get wedded to the idee that ’twas me who kicked up that row over the girl nor the scrap that followed. That ain’t my line. The Boss’ll skin me alive fer lettin’ you make such a pose in the limelight as you did when you butted in as the heero and copped off that rescue. All _I_ did was to organize the cheerin’ party, and post that guy what to say when he was nabbed. I’d ’a’ got away with it all without a break, at that, only this Grafton gang ain’t got no ree-finement. They has to go an’ make a toadpie of the whole party.”