that he didn't believe in the Lord or in souls. He left the court to
spend me at a ----, but I think that I will not mention that shameful
change. There was nothing strange about my falling into the hangman as
part of his pay. I had been in worse hands in the interim.

I saw her die. Not a word did she say about the man she killed, though
it might have saved her to tell of the mock marriage and the other
things I knew she could reveal. She thought it better to die, I
suppose, than be shamed. So she died--unbought. It made me still more
unhappy to think of it at all. The dark stain never left me, but I
cared nothing for that. What troubled was that I knew she wanted me,
was starving for what I could buy, but spurned me and died rather than
take me. There was something that had more power than I possessed.

I made up my mind to forget, so my next effort was the greatest I had
yet made--my partnership with millions of others. I traveled long
distances over and over again. I dug gold from the earth and so
produced others like myself. I built railroads, skyscrapers,
steamships and great public works. I disguised myself, in order to
enhance my power, under new forms of paper and metal, coin, drafts,
checks, orders and notes. Indeed I scarcely knew myself when I
returned to the bill with the red stain upon it. My partners were
nearly all with us one day when the master came in with a man and
pointed us out to him. The man shook his head. It was a great, massive
head, good to look at. My master talked a long time with him but he
never changed. Then he placed a great roll of us in his hand. He threw
us down, kicked us, and went out without a look back. I was more
unhappy than ever. He had spurned me, though I knew by his look that
he wanted me. I felt cursed. I had not much power at all. There was
another thing I could not buy.