And then Maggie had played upon
him even more skillfully than she imagined.
"I'm exactly the man you need in every way!" he exploded.
"Those are just words," she said evenly. "I said I had to have
something more than mere words."
"I'm ace-high with Chief Barlow!"
"You've got to be more explicit."
Barney was now all excitement. "Don't you get what that means? I've
never been locked up once, and yet I've been pulling stuff all the
time! And yet look how Larry Brainard, that the bunch thought was so
clever, got hooked and was sent away. I guess you know the answer!"
"Again, Barney, I've got to ask you to be more explicit."
"Then the answer is that all the while I've been working on an
understanding with Barlow. I guess that's explicit!"
"You mean," she said in her cool voice, "that you've been a stool-
pigeon for Barlow?"
"Sure!--though I don't like the word. That's the only safe way of
staying steady in the game--an understanding with the police. All
there is to it is now and then to tip the police off about some dub of
a crook: of course you've got to be smooth enough not to let anyone
guess your game."
"That doesn't seem to me such a strong talking point in your favor,"
she said thoughtfully.
"But don't you get the idea? I'm so strong with Barlow that I can get
away with anything I want to.
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