Спрут: Калифорнийская история
Chapter V.
Somemencanaffordtohavebriberychargespreferredagainstthem,anditdon’thurtonelittlebit,butYOU—Lord,itwouldBUSTyou,Governor,bustyoudead.IknowallaboutthewholeshananiganbusinessfromAtoZ,andifyoudon’tbelieveit—here,”hedrewalongstripofpaperfromhispocket,“here’sagalleyproofofthestory.”
Magnustookitinhishands.There,underhiseyes,scare-headed,double-leaded,themoreimportantclausesprintedinboldtype,wasthedetailedaccountofthe“deal”Magnushadmadewiththetwodelegates.Itwaspitiless,remorseless,bald.Everystatementwassubstantiated,everystatisticverifiedwithGenslinger’smeticulousloveforexactness.Besidesallthat,ithadtheringoftruth.Itwasexposure,ruin,absoluteannihilation.
“That’saboutcorrect,isn’tit?”commentedGenslinger,asDerrickfinishedreading.Magnusdidnotreply.“Ithinkitiscorrectenough,”theeditorcontinued.“ButIthoughtitwouldonlybefairtoyoutoletyouseeitbeforeitwaspublished.”
TheonethoughtuppermostinDerrick’smind,hisoneimpulseofthemomentwas,atwhatevercost,topreservehisdignity,nottoallowthismantoexultinthesightofonequiverofweakness,onetraceofdefeat,onesuggestionofhumiliation.Byaneffortthatputallhisironrigiditytothetest,heforcedhimselftolookstraightintoGenslinger’seyes.
“Icongratulateyou,”heobserved,handingbacktheproof,“uponyourjournalisticenterprise.Yourpaperwillsellto-morrow.
