LII
But, of course, it wasn't long before this little company became
serious again. Carpenter told Franklin that he ought not stay here;
he, Carpenter, was too conspicuous a figure, the authorities were
certain to be watching him. Korwsky backed him up. There were sure
to be spies here! They would never leave such a man unwatched. They
would set to work to get something on him, and if they couldn't get
it they would make it. When Carpenter asked what he meant, he
explained, "Dey'll plant dynamite in de place vere you are, or
dey'll fake up some letters to show you been plannin' violence."
"And do people believe such things?" asked Carpenter.
"Believe dem?" cried Korwsky. "If dey see it in de papers, dey
believe it--sure dey do!"
The prophet answered, "Let a man live so that the world will believe
him and not his enemies." Then he added a startling remark. "There
is one among us who will betray me."
Of course, they all looked at one another in consternation. They
were deeply distressed, and each tried in turn--"Comrade," or
"Brother," or "Fellow-worker," or whatever term they used--"is it
I?" Presently the sturdy looking fellow named Hamby, who called
himself a pacifist, asked, "Is it I?" And Carpenter answered,
quietly, "You have said it.
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