In the silence, both outside
and inside the hall, could be heard the deep breathing of agitated men.
I would have liked to search for possible satisfaction on the faces of
any present, but I was concerned only with Sampson. I did not need to
fear that any man might draw on Steele.
Never had I seen a crowd so sold, so stiff, so held! Sampson was indeed
a study. Yet did he betray anything but rage at this interloper?
"Sampson, here's plain talk for you and Linrock to digest," went
on Steele. "I don't accuse you and your court of dishonesty. I
say--_strange_! Law here has been a farce. The motive behind all
this laxity isn't plain to me--yet. But I call your hand!"
Chapter 3
SOUNDING THE TIMBER
When Steele left the hall, pushing Snell before him, making a lane
through the crowd, it was not any longer possible to watch everybody.
Yet now he seemed to ignore the men behind him. Any friend of Snell's
among the vicious element might have pulled a gun. I wondered if Steele
knew how I watched those men at his back--how fatal it would have been
for any of them to make a significant move.
No--I decided that Steele trusted to the effect his boldness had
created.
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