"
"Exactly; and thereby you would be depriving yourself of most excellent
entertainment, besides the services of a most useful servant."
"I haven't got any dirty work to be done, Garman."
Garman smoked deliberately for several seconds.
"Payne, once and for all, let this be understood between us: when I
have any dirty work to be done I do it myself, with these two hands.
Understand? Now, Ramos fancies himself in the supposed position of
bravo. Very amusing, I assure you----"
"I don't care about Ramos and your whims, Garman," Payne interrupted.
"Of course not. Why should you? But I'd be bored to death down here
if I didn't have people to play with----"
"Rot! You aren't the playing kind."
"My dear fellow," said Garman with a deep chuckle, "if I didn't have
lives to play with--other people's lives--I'd die of boredom. You're
young," he continued with a sudden touch of bitterness. "You're still
able to draw upon the old illusions to maintain your interest in life.
Ambition, work, achievement, success--Love! You're inexperienced
enough to pursue the old will-o'-the-wisps that Nature has planted in
man's instincts to keep him living till her purpose is served. Pah!
Payne, I've tried them all, won them all, and that--" he blew out a
great cloud of smoke--"that is more real and satisfying than all of
them put together.
Pages:
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145