But," he went on, with a sudden almost fierce break in his voice, "the
day after would probably be too late. There are a great many hungry
people in the north. There are a great many who are starving. There is
one in London who is beginning to feel the pangs."
"You are ill-treating him!" Phipps cried passionately. "I shall go to
Scotland Yard myself! I shall tell them what you have said. I shall
denounce you!"
"My dear fellow," Wingate scoffed, "you have done that already. You have
induced those very excellent upholders of English law and liberty to set
a plain-clothes man to following me about. I can assure you that he has
had a very pleasant and a very busy evening."
Phipps rose to his feet.
"Wingate," he exclaimed, "curse you!"
"A very natural sentiment. I hope that you may repeat it a good many
times before the end comes."
"You are a conspirator--a criminal!" Phipps continued, his voice shaking
with excitement. "You are breaking the laws of the country. I shall see
that you are in gaol before the week is out!"
"A good deal of what you say is true," Wingate admitted, "with the
possible exception of the latter part. Believe me, Peter Phipps, you are
a great deal more likely to see the inside of a prison than I am. You
will be a poor man presently and poor men of your type are desperate.
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