sound naive. 'And how shall I know which ones those are, sir?'
Athelstan stared at him, the blood ebbing and flowing in his face.
'You are dismissed, Pitt,' he said at last. 'You are no longer in the force!'
Pitt felt the ice drench over him as if he had toppled and fallen into the river. His voice replied like a stranger's, involuntarily, full of bravado he did not feel.
'Perhaps that's just as well, sir. I could never have made the suitable judgments as to whom we should protect and whom we should allow to be killed. I was under the misapprehension that we were to prevent crime or to arrest criminals whenever possible, and that the social standing or the moral habits of the victim and the offender were quite irrelevant-that we should seek to enforce the law-something about 'without malice, fear, or favor.' '
A hot tide, rose again in Athelstan's face.
'Are you accusing me of favor, Pitt? Are you saying that I am corrupt?'
'No, sir. You said it,' Pitt replied. He had nothing to lose now. Everything that Athelstan could give or take had already gone. He had used all his power.
Athelstan swallowed. 'You misunderstood!' he said with tight fury, but softly, suddenly startled into control again.
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'Sometimes I think you are deliberately stupid! I said nothing of the sort. All I meant was that people like Albie Frobisher are bound to come to a bad end, and there is nothing we can do about it, that's all.'
'I'm sony, sir. I thought you said that there was nothing we ought to do.'
'Nonsense!' Athelstan waved his hands as if to obliterate the idea. 'I never said anything of the kind. Of course we must try! It is just that it is hopeless. We cannot waste good police time on something that has no chance of success! That is only common sense. You will never make a good administrator, Pitt, if you do not understand how best to use the limited forces at your disposal! Let it be a lesson to you.'
'I am hardly likely to make an administrator of any sort, since I have no job,' Pitt pointed out. Now the coldness of reality was setting in. Through the shock he began to glimpse the wasteland of unhappiness beyond. Ridiculously, childishly, there was a constricting ache in his throat. In that moment he hated Athelstan so much he wanted to hit him, to beat him until he bled. Then he would go out of the station where everyone knew him, and walk in the gray, hiding rain until he could control the desire to weep. Except that, of course, it would all come back again when he saw Charlotte, and he would make a weak, undignified fool of himself.
'Well!' Athelstan sniffed irritably. 'Well-I'm not a vindictive man-I'm prepared to overlook this breach if you'll behave yourself more circumspectly in the future. You may consider yourself still employed in the police force.' He glanced at Pitt's face, then held up his hand. 'No! I insist, don't argue with me! I am aware that you are overimpulsive, but I am prepared to allow you a certain latitude. You have put in some excellent work in the past, and you have earned a little leniency for the occasional mistake. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind. And do not mention Arthur Way-bourne or anything whatsoever connected with that case-however tenuously!' He waved his hand again. 'Do you hear me?'
Pitt blinked. He had an odd feeling that Athelstan was as re-250
lieved as he was. His face was still scarlet and his eyes peered back anxiously.
'Do you hear me?' he repeated, his voice louder.
'Yes, sir.' Pitt answered, straightening up again to some semblance of attention. 'Yes, sir.'
'Good! Now go away and get on with whatever you are doing! Get out!'
Pitt obeyed, then stood outside on the matting on the landing feeling suddenly sick.
Meanwhile, Charlotte and Emily were pursuing their
