"Dishonesty?" Gray interrupted, sharply. "I am a quick-tempered man, Mr. Roswell. I'll ask you to choose your words more carefully." "Don't you call salting a well dishonest?" "I do. I didn't salt that Arkansas property--and I assume you refer to that. In fact, I knew nothing about it, and I so informed Nelson. Evidently he didn't believe me, and I don't expect you to do so. Nevertheless, it is true. I have never lied to you, and I never shall. Now, malice--Yes, I bear malice toward Henry Nelson and I shall continue to bear him malice long after I have put him in his grave." Roswell's startled eyes leaped to the speaker's face. "Exactly! I propose to put him in his grave, and he knows it." "Nonsense! That's wild talk and you'll regret it. What has he done to you?" The object of this inquiry shrugged. "A private matter, purely. As to double-dealing--is it double-dealing to go to an enemy and tell him frankly that you intend to down him and how you propose to do it?" "Did you do that?" "I did. What is more, I offered to fight fair and he agreed. But, of course, he broke that, as he feels free to break any agreement when it becomes onerous or unprofitable. He began by trying to assassinate me." "What are you saying?" Roswell cried. "This is incredible." Gray's cigar had gone out; he lighted it with steady and deliberate fingers before he said: "I am giving you facts. The fighting has not been all on my side. For instance, I haven't hired men to drop tools in his wells or run crooked holes, and that sort of thing, as he has. Not that I wouldn't follow his lead if he forced me to, but I haven't had to resort to petty annoyances. I haven't had to make any 'small change,' for I have originality, imagination--even a small amount of daring, while he--Well, he is obvious. He has nothing except physical courage. Thank God, he's not a coward! He'll die hard." "Amazing!" The banker was at a loss for words. After a moment, he inquired: "What about Bell Nelson?" "A harsh, headstrong, ruthless old man whose history will not bear careful reading. His sins shall be visited upon him through his offspring. He will have to go, too." Roswell stirred as if to shake off the effect of some oppressive, mesmeric influence; reluctantly he admitted, "All I can say is you have a colossal nerve--" "Precisely. And that is all I had when I came to Texas." "I was coming to that. You deceived me, Gray. You said you represented big capital; had friends and connections--" "A pardonable deceit, under the circumstances, was it not? As a matter of fact, I said nothing of the sort; I merely allowed you to infer--" "You're splitting hairs." The banker was impatient. "The fact remains that you led me to make a fool of myself. Why, man alive, I have your whole history here, and it's a record of one sensational failure after another. You had no backing whatever, no--" "Is that the result of your own investigation?" "Partly."