The Price He Paid — page 270: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE CHALLENGE. 261 wily maneuver had wrested from him, and which had since been published throughout the length and breadth of the land. | “Tl only wonder that you did not turn your knowl- edge of these occurrences to account sooner,” went on Raven; “you, or the others who shared it.” “You can answer that question yourself,”-said Brunnow. “We lacked evidence. If we ourselves were profoundly convinced of your guilt, that was our affair alone. The world requires proofs, tangible proofs, and these we could not produce. Why no voice has been raised against you before this, you ask? No one knows better than you that, in those arbitrary times, which, it is to be hoped, are now forever past and gone, every inconvenient voice was hushed and stifled. Then Arno Raven rapidly acquired influence, became the friend and favorite of the minister, whom he was shortly to call father. Later on, as Baron von Raven, he was the most powerful stay and support of the government, to whom he had become indispensable. No accusation against such aman would have been admitted; it would at once have been stigmatized as a lie, a calumnious lie, and suppressed as such. We all knew this, and the knowledge kept the others silent. It was not withheld by these considerations alone. I—had no desire to accuse you, and have none now. Some admissions made by me during my confinement —admissions which were, I fear, purposely ex- tracted from me—may have served as a basis for the present revelations. The superintendent of police has certainly had to do with the business. : He is your enemy.” “No, he is simply a spy,” said Raven, contempt- uously; “and, therefore, I do not think of calling him to account. It was no duty of his, moreover, to keep back information which you had communi- cated to him. The information came from you, an to you I look for satisfaction.” 4 Brunnow started back. “Satisfaction? From me? What do you mean?” ; | “What canI mean? It seems tomeno explana- tion-is necessary. ‘There is but one way of. wiping Eomicbooks (E(0)