Leslie Charteris - The Saint in Miami

Simon looked at him through the smoke of his cigarette.

"Even though I broke your sacred law?'

"There ain't no law," Haskins declared slowly, "when some son-of-a-bitch is tryin' to take over the whole of creation, an' usin' what laws there are to try an' make it easier for himself. Like he lets little countries believe in laws of neutrality, which means they don't begin gangin' up on him until after he's jumped on 'em. An' like he uses their laws o' liberty to sneak in his spies an' start fightin' 'em long before he comes out an' calls it a war. I done a powerful lot o' thinkin' since we had a talk the other night. Some folks are gonna blind themselves to it, an' the politicians are gonna help ball it up so they can keep gettin' votes from the people who don't want to think, but when I see a lot o' thugs drillin' right under my nose, screamin' against our kind o' government an' generally thinkin' they're bigger 'n the country they live in, I jest know the whole stinkin' business is gettin' too close to home."

The Saint looked at him silently, a thin dowdy man against his bright butterfly background, a solemn and incongruous figure, and yet something that had been fined down to the ultimate unconquerable fibre of the land that had bred him…

Haskins drained his glass and set it back on the bar.

"That's right good liquor." He dried his mouth on the back of his hand. "I hate killin'. But there's times when things get so damn hot there ain't nuth'n but a little killin' will stop a helluva sight more. I don't know, o'course, but from what I've heard tell, you believe in back fires when things start to burn. Mebbe you've talked me round to your way o' thinkin'. Mebbe more of us have to be talked round before this fire gets too big for us. I dunno."

He stood up, and extended one muscular brown hand. "I got to go. But I'm hopin' more of our folks will start gangin' up before it's too late. Mebbe I jest sorter like you, son."

"Maybe it's mutual, daddy," said the Saint, and put out his own strong grip.