“Lose!” she cried indignantly.  “What of it?  Do you think if I had a friend who was near and dear to me I’d sacrifice him for all the trees in the mountains?  How can you!”

“Et tu Brute!” said Bob a little wearily.  “Where is all the no-compromise talk I’ve heard at various times, and the high ideals, and the loyalty to the Service at any cost, and all the rest of it?  You’re not consistent.”

Amy eyed him a little disdainfully.

“You’ve got to save that poor old man,” she stated.  “It’s all very easy for you to talk of duty and the rest of it, but the fact remains that you’re sending that poor old man to prison for something that isn’t his fault, and it’ll break his heart.”

“He isn’t there yet,” Bob pointed out.  “The case isn’t decided.”

“It’s all very well for you to talk that way,” said Amy, “for all you have to do is to satisfy your conscience and bear your testimony.  But if testifying would land you in danger of prison, you might feel differently about it.”

Bob thought of George Pollock, and smiled a trifle bitterly.  Welton might get off with a fine, or even suspended sentence.  There was but one punishment for those accessory before the fact to a murder.  Amy was eyeing him reflectively.  The appearance of anger had died.  It was evident that she was thinking deeply.

“Why doesn’t Mr. Welton protect himself?” she inquired at length.  “If he turned state’s evidence before that man Baker did, wouldn’t it work that way around?”

“I don’t believe it would,” said Bob.  “Baker was not the real principal in the offence, only an accessory.  Besides, even if it were possible, Mr. Welton would not do such a thing.  You don’t know Welton.”

Amy sank again to reflection, her eyes losing themselves in a gaze beyond the visible world.  Suddenly she threw up her head with a joyous chuckle.

“I believe I have it!” she cried.  She nodded her head several times as though to corroborate with herself certain points in her plan.  “Listen!” she said at last.  “As I understand it, Baker is really liable on this charge of bribing Plant as much as Mr. Welton is.”

“Yes; he paid the money.”

“So that if it were not for the fact that he intends to gain immunity by telling what he knows, he would get into as much trouble as Mr. Welton.”

“Of course.”

“Well, don’t you know enough about it all to testify?  Weren’t you there?”

Bob reflected.

“Yes, I believe I was present at all the interviews.”

“Then,” cried Amy triumphantly, “you can issue complaint against both Baker and Mr. Welton on a charge of bribery, and Baker can’t possibly wriggle out by turning state’s evidence, because your evidence will be enough.”

“Do you expect me to have Mr. Welton arrested on this charge?” cried Bob.

“No, silly!  But you can go to Baker, can’t you, and say to him:  ’See here, if you try to bring up this old bribery charge against Welton, I’ll get in ahead of you and have you both up.  I haven’t any desire to raise a fuss, nor start any trouble; but if you are bound to get Mr. Welton in on this, I might as well get you both in.’  He’d back out, you see!”