第9章

TheInspectorregardedthespeakersearchingly。Hisheavyfacewasdrawninanexpressionofapparentdoubt。Abruptly，then，hesmiledacquiescence。

"Seemsreasonable，"headmitted。

Butthefatherstrodetohisson。

"No，no，Dick，"hecried。"Youshallnotgo!Youshallnotgo!"

Burke，however，shookhisheadinremonstranceagainstGilder\'splea。Hishugevoicecamebooming，weightilyimpressive。

"Whynot？"hequestioned。"It\'safairgamble。And，besides，I

liketheboy\'snerve。"

Dickseizedontheadmissioneagerly。

"Andyou\'llagree？"hecried。

"Yes，I\'llagree，"theInspectoranswered。

"Thankyou，"Dicksaidquietly。

Butthefatherwasnotcontent。Onthecontrary，hewenttowardthetwohurriedly，withagestureofreproval。

"Youshallnotgo，Dick，"hedeclared，imperiously。

TheInspectorshotawordofwarningtoGilderinanasidethatDickcouldnothear。

"Keepstill，"hereplied。"It\'sallright。"

Dickwentonspeakingwithaseriousnesssuitedtothemagnitudeofhisinterests。

"Yougivemeyourword，Inspector，"hesaid，"thatyouwon\'tnotifythepoliceinChicagountilI\'vebeentheretwenty-fourhours？"

"You\'reon，"Burkerepliedgenially。"Theywon\'tgetawhisperoutofmeuntilthetimeisup。"Heswungabouttofacethefather，andtherewasacompletechangeinhismanner。"Now，then，Mr。Gilder，"hesaidbriskly，"Iwanttotalktoyouaboutanotherlittlematter——"

Dickcaughtthesuggestion，andinterruptedquickly。

"ThenI\'llgo。"Hesmiledratherwanlyathisfather。"Youknow，Dad，I\'msorry，butI\'vegottodowhatIthinkistherightthing。"

Burkehelpedtosavethesituationfromthegrowingtenseness。

"Sure，"hecriedheartily；"sureyouhave。That\'sthebestanyofuscando。"Hewatchedkeenlyastheyoungmanwentoutoftheroom。ItwasnotuntilthedoorwasclosedafterDickthathespoke。Thenhedroppedtoaseatonthecouch，andproceededtomakehisconfidencestothemagnate。

"He\'llgotoChicagointhemorning，youthink，don\'tyou？"

"Certainly，"Gilderanswered。"ButIdon\'tlikeit。"

Burkeslappedhislegwithanenthusiasmthatmighthavebrokenaweakermember。

"Bestthingthatcouldhavehappened!"hevociferated。Andthen，asGilderregardedhiminastonishment，headded，chuckling:"Yousee，hewon\'tfindherthere。"

"Whydoyouthinkthat？"Gilderdemanded，greatlypuzzled。

Burkepermittedhimselftheluxuryoflaughingappreciativelyamomentmorebeforemakinghisexclamation。Thenhesaidquietly:

"Becauseshedidn\'tgothere。"

"Wheredidshego，then？"Gilderqueriedwhollyataloss。

Onceagaintheofficerchuckled。Itwasevidentthathewaswellpleasedwithhisowningenuity。

"Nowhereyet，"hesaidatlast。"But，justaboutthetimehe\'sstartingfortheWestI\'llhaveherdownatHeadquarters。

Demarestwillhaveherindictedbeforenoon。She\'llgofortrialintheafternoon。Andto-morrownightshe\'llbesleepinguptheriver……That\'swheresheisgoing。"

Gilderstoodmotionlessforamoment。Afterall，hewasanordinarycitizen，quiteunfamiliarwiththereconditemethodsfamiliartothepolice。

"But，"hesaid，wonderingly，"youcan\'tdothat。"

TheInspectorlaughed，alaughofdisingenuousamusement，forheunderstoodperfectlythelackofcomprehensiononthepartofhishearer。

"Well，"hesaid，andhisvoicesankintoamodestrumblethatwasnonethelessstillthunderous。"PerhapsIcan\'t!"Andthenhebeamedbroadly，hiswholefacesmilingblandlyonthemanwhodoubtedhispower。"PerhapsIcan\'t，"herepeated。Thenthechucklecameagain，andheaddedemphatically:"ButIwill!"

Suddenly，hisheavyfacegrewhard。Hisalerteyesshonefiercely，withaflashoffirethatwasknowntoeverypatrolmanwhohadeverreportedtothedeskwhenhewaslieutenant。Hisheavyjawshotforwardaggressivelyashespoke。

"ThinkI\'mgoingtoletthatgirlmakeajokeofthePoliceDepartment？Why，I\'mheretogether——tostopheranyhow。Hergangisgoingtobreakintoyourhouseto-night。"

"What？"Gilderdemanded。"Youmean，she\'scominghereasathief？"

"Notexactly，"InspectorBurkeconfessed，"butherpalsarecomingtotrytopulloffsomethingrighthere。Shewouldn\'tcome，notifIknowher。She\'stoocleverforthat。Why，ifsheknewwhatGarsonwasplanningtodo，she\'dstophim。"

TheInspectorpausedsuddenly。Foralongminutehisfacewasseamedwiththought。Then，hesmotehisthighwithablowstrongenoughtokillanox。Hisfacewasradiant。

"ByGod!I\'vegother!"hecried。Theinspirationforwhichhehadlongedwashisatlast。Hewenttothedeskwherethetelephonewas，andtookupthereceiver。

"Giveme3100Spring，"hesaid。AshewaitedfortheconnectionhesmiledwidelyontheastonishedGilder。"\'Tain\'ttoolate，"

hesaidjoyously。"Imusthavebeenlosingmymindnottohavethoughtofitbefore。"Theimpactofsoundsonhisearfromthereceiversethimtoattention。

"Headquarters？"hecalled。"InspectorBurkespeaking。Who\'sinmyoffice？Iwanthimquick。"Hesmiledashelistened，andhespokeagaintoGilder。"It\'sSmith，thebestmanIhave。That\'sluck，ifyouaskme。"Thenagainhespokeintothemouthpieceofthetelephone。

"Oh，Ed，sendsomeoneuptothatTurnerwoman。Youhavetheaddress。Justseethatsheistippedoff，thatJoeGarsonandsomepalsaregoingtobreakintoEdwardGilder\'shouseto-night。

Getsomestool-pigeontohandhertheinformation。You\'dbettergettoworkdamnedquick。Understand？"

TheInspectorpulledoutthatwatchofwhichAggieLynchhadspokensoavariciously，andglancedatit，thenwentonspeaking:

"It\'sten-thirtynow。ShewenttotheLyricTheaterwithsomewoman。Getherassheleaves，orfindherbackatherownplacelater。You\'llhavetohustle，anyhow。That\'sall!"

TheInspectorhungupthereceiverandfacedhishostwithacontentedsmile。

"Whatgoodwillallthatdo？"Gilderdemanded，impatiently。

Burkeexplainedwithasatisfactionnaturaltoonewhohaddevisedsomethingingeniousandadequate。Thisinspirationfilledhimwithdelight。AtlasthewassureofcatchingMaryTurnerherselfinhistoils。

"She\'llcometostop\'em，"hesaid。"Whenwegettherestofthegang，we\'llgrabher，too。Why，Ialmostforgother，thinkingaboutGarson。Mr。Gilder，youwouldhardlybelieveit，butthere\'sscarcelybeenarealbitofforgeryworthwhiledoneinthiscountryforthelasttwentyyears，thatGarsonhasn\'tbeenmixedupin。We\'veneveroncegothimrightinallthattime。"

TheInspectorpausedtochuckle。"Crooksarefunny，"heexplainedwithobviouscontentment。"Cleverasheis，GarsonletGriggstalkhimintoasecond-storyjob，andnowwe\'llgethimwiththegoods……Justcallyourmanforaminute，willyou，Mr。

Gilder？"

Gilderpressedtheelectricbuttononhisdesk。Atthesamemoment，throughtheoctagonalwindowcameablindingflashoflightthatrestedforseconds，thenvanished。Burke，bynomeansanervousman，neverthelesswasstartledbythemysteriousradiance。

"What\'sthat？"hedemanded，sharply。

"It\'stheflashlightfromtheMetropolitanTower，"Gilderexplainedwithasmileoverthepoliceman\'sperturbation。"Itswingsaroundthiswayabouteveryfifteenminutes。Theservantforgottodrawthecurtains。"Ashespoke，hewenttothewindow，andpulledtheheavydraperiesclose。"Itwon\'tbotherusagain。"

TheentranceofthebutlerbroughttheInspector\'sthoughtsbacktothematterinhand。

"Myman，"hesaid，authoritatively，"Iwantyoutogouptotheroofandopenthescuttle。You\'llfindsomemenwaitingupthere。Bring\'emdownhere。"

Theservant\'susuallyimpassivefaceshowedastonishment，notunmixedwithdismay，andhelookeddoubtfullytowardhismaster，whonoddedreassuringly。

"Oh，theywon\'thurtyou，"theInspectordeclared，ashenoticedtheman\'shesitation。"They\'repoliceofficers。Youget\'emdownhere，andthenyougotobedandstaytheretillmorning。

Understand？"

Again，thebutlerlookedathismasterforguidanceinthisverypeculiaraffair，ashedeemedit。Receivinganothernod，hesaid:

"Verywell，sir。"HeregardedtheInspectorwithacertainhelplessindignationoverthisdisturbanceofthenaturalorder，andlefttheroom。

Gilderhimselfwaspuzzledoverthesituation，whichwasbynomeanscleartohim。

"Howdoyouknowthey\'regoingtobreakintothehouseto-night？"

hedemandedofBurke；"ordoyouonlythinkthey\'regoingtobreakintothehouse？"

"Iknowtheyare。"TheInspector\'sharshvoicebroughtoutthewordsboastfully。"Ifixedit。"

"Youdid!"Therewaswonderinthemagnate\'sexclamation。

"Sure，"Burkedeclaredcomplacently，"diditthroughastool-pigeon。"

"Oh，aninformer，"Gilderinterrupted，alittledoubtfully。

"Yes，"Burkeagreed。"Stool-pigeonisthepolicenameforhim。

Really，he\'sthevilestthingthatcrawls。"

"But，ifyouthinkthat，"Gilderexpostulated，"whydoyouhaveanythingtodowiththatsortofperson？"

"Becauseit\'sgoodbusiness，"theInspectorreplied。"Weknowhe\'saspyandatraitor，andthateverytimehecomesnearusweoughttouseadisinfectant。Butwedealwithhimjustthesame——becausewehaveto。Now，thestool-pigeoninthistrickisaswellEnglishcrook。HewenttoGarsonyesterdaywithaschemetorobyourhouse。HetriedoutMaryTurner，too，butshewouldn\'tstandforit——saiditwouldbreakthelaw，whichiscontrarytoherprinciples。ShetoldGarsontoleaveitalone。

ButhemetGriggsafterwardwithoutherknowinganythingaboutit，andthenheagreedtopullitoff。Griggsgotwordtomethatit\'scomingoffto-night。Andso，yousee，Mr。Gilder，that\'showIknow。Doyougetme？"

"Isee，"Gilderadmittedwithoutanyenthusiasm。Asamatteroffact，hefeltsomewhatoffendedthathishouseshouldbethussummarilyseizedasatrapforcriminals。

"Butwhydoyouhaveyourmencomedownovertheroof？"heinquiredcuriously。

"Itwasn\'tsafetobringtheminthefrontway，"wastheInspector\'spromptreply。"It\'sacinchthehouseisbeingwatched。Iwishyouwouldletmehaveyourlatch-key。Iwanttocomeback，andmakethiscollarmyself。"

TheownerofthehouseobedientlytookthedesiredkeyfromhisringandgaveittotheInspectorwithashrugofresignation。

"But，whynotstay，nowthatyouarehere？"heasked。

"Huh!"Burkeretorted。"Supposesomeofthemsawmecomein？

Therewouldn\'tbeanythingdoinguntilaftertheyseemegooutagain。"

Thehalldooropenedandthebutlerreenteredtheroom。BehindhimcameCassidyandtwootherdetectivesinplainclothes。Atawordfromhismaster，thedisturbedThomaswithdrewwiththeintentionofobeyingtheInspector\'sdirectionsthatheshouldretiretobedandstaythere，carefullyavoidingwhateverpossibilitiesofperiltheremightbeinthesituationsoforeigntohisidealsofpropriety。

"Now，"Burkewentonbriskly，asthedoorclosedbehindtheservant，"wherecouldthesemenstayoutofsightuntilthey\'reneeded？"

Therefollowedalittlediscussionwhichendedintheselectionofastore-roomattheendofthepassageonthegroundfloor，onwhichoneofthelibrarydoorsopened。

"Yousee，"BurkeexplainedtoGilder，whenthismatterhadbeensettledtohissatisfaction，andwhileCassidyandtheotherdetectiveswereoutofthelibraryonatourofinspection，"youmusthavethingsright，whenitcomestocatchingcrooksonaframe-uplikethis。IhadthesemencometoNumberTwenty-sixontheotherstreet，thenroundtheblockontheroofs。"

Gildernoddedappreciationwhichwasnotactuallysincere。Itseemedtohimthatsuchelaboratemanoeuveringwas，intruth，ratherabsurd。

"Andnow，Mr。Gilder，"theInspectorsaidenergetically，"I\'mgoingtogiveyouthesametipIgaveyourman。Gotobed，andstaythere。"

"Buttheboy，"Gilderprotested。"Whatabouthim？He\'stheonethingofimportancetome。"

"IfhesaysanythingmoreaboutgoingtoChicago——justyoulethimgo，that\'sall!It\'sthebestplaceforhimforthenextfewdays。I\'llgetintouchwithyouinthemorningandletyouknowthenhowthingsarecomingout。"

Gildersighedresignedly。Hisheavyfacewaslinedwithanxiety。

Therewasahesitationinhismannerofspeechthatwaswhollyunlikeitsusualquickdecisiveness。

"Idon\'tlikethissortofthing，"hesaid，doubtfully。"IletyougoaheadbecauseIcan\'tsuggestanyalternative，butIdon\'tlikeit，notatall。Itseemstomethatothermethodsmightbeemployedwithexcellentresultswithouttheelementoftreacherywhichseemstoinvolvemeaswellasyouinoureffortstoovercomethiswoman。"

Burke，however，hadnoqualmsastosuchplotting。

"Youmusthavecrookedwaystocatchcrooks，believeme，"hesaidcheerfully。"It\'stheeasiestandquickestwayoutofthetroubleforus，andtheeasiestandquickestwayintotroubleforthem。"

Thereturnofthedetectivescausedhimtobreakoff，andhegavehisattentiontothefinalarrangementsofhismen。

"You\'reinchargehere，"hesaidtoCassidy，"andIholdyouresponsible。Now，listentothis，andgetit。"Hiscoarsevoicecamewithagratingnoteofcommand。"I\'mcomingbacktogetthisbunchmyself，andI\'llcallyouwhenyou\'rewanted。You\'llwaitinthestore-roomoutthereanddon\'tmakeamovetillyouhearfromme，unlessbyanychancethingsgowrongandyougetacallfromGriggs。Youknowwhoheis。He\'sgotawhistle，andhe\'lluseitifnecessary……Gotthatstraight？"And，whenCassidyhaddeclaredanentireunderstandingofthedirectionsgiven，heconcludedconcisely。"Onyourway，then!"

Asthemenlefttheroom，heturnedagaintoGilder。

"Justonethingmore，"hesaid。"I\'llhavetohaveyourhelpalittlelonger。AfterI\'vegone，Iwantyoutostayupforahalf-houranyhow，withthelightsburning。Doyousee？IwanttobesuretogivetheTurnerwomantimetogetherewhilethatgangisatwork。Yourkeepingonthelightswillholdthemback，fortheywon\'tcomeintillthehouseisdark，so，inhalfanhouryoucangetoffthejob，switchoffthelightsandgotobedandstaythere——justasItoldyoubefore。"ThenInspectorBurke，havinginmindthegreatdistressofthemanovertheunfortunateentanglementofhisson，wasatpainstoofferareassuringword。

"Don\'tworryabouttheboy，"hesaid，withgravekindliness。

"We\'llgethimoutofthisscrapeallright。"Andwiththeassertionhebustledout，leavingtheunhappyfathertomiserableforebodings。

CHAPTERXVII。OUTSIDETHELAW。

GilderscrupulouslyfollowedthedirectionsofthePoliceInspector。Uneasily，hehadremainedinthelibraryuntiltheallottedtimewaselapsed。Hefidgetedfromplacetoplace，hismindheavywithdistressundertheshadowthatthreatenedtoblightthelifeofhischerishedson。Finally，withasenseofreliefheputoutthelightsandwenttohischamber。Buthedidnotfollowthefurtherdirectionsgivenhim，forhewasnotmindedtogotobed。Instead，hedrewthecurtainscloselytomakesurethatnogleamoflightcouldpassthem，andthensatwithacigarbetweenhislips，whichhedidnotsmoke，thoughfromtimetotimehewasatpainstolightit。Histhoughtsweremostwithhisson，andeverashethoughtofDick，hisfurywaxedagainstthewomanwhohadenmeshedtheboyinherplottingforvengeanceonhimself。Andintohisthoughtsnowcreptadoubt，onethatalarmedhissenseofjustice。Itoccurredtohimthatthiswomancouldnothavethusnourishedaplanforretributionthroughtheyearsunless，indeed，shehadbeeninsane，evenashehadclaimed——orinnocent!Theideawasappalling。Hecouldnotbeartoadmitthepossibilityofhavingbeentheinvoluntaryinflicterofsuchwrongastosendthegirltoprisonforanoffenseshehadnotcommitted。Herejectedthesuggestion，butitpersisted。Heknewtheclean，wholesomenatureofhisson。

Itseemedtohimincrediblethattheboycouldhavethusgivenhishearttoonealtogetherundeserving。AhorriblesuspicionthathehadmisjudgedMaryTurnercreptintohisbrain，andwouldnotout。Hefoughtitwithallthestrengthofhim，andthatwasmuch，buteveritabodethere。HeturnedforcomforttothethingsBurkehadsaid。Thewomanwasacrook，andtherewasanendofit。Herruseofspoliationwithinthelawwasevidenceofhershrewdness，nothingmore。

MaryTurnerherself，too，wasinaconditionutterlywretched，andforthesamecause——DickGilder。Thatsourceofthefather\'ssufferingwashersaswell。Shehadwonherambitionofyears，revengeonthemanwhohadsenthertoprison。Andnowthejoyofitwasatorture，forthepuppetofherplans，theson，hadsuddenlybecomethechiefthinginherlife。Shehadtakenitforgrantedthathewouldleaveherafterhecametoknowthathermarriagetohimwasonlyadevicetobringshameonhisfather。Instead，helovedher。Thatfactseemedthesecretofherdistress。Helovedher。More，hedaredbelieve，andtoassertboldly，thatshelovedhim。Hadheactedotherwise，thematterwouldhavebeensimpleenough……Buthelovedher，lovedherstill，thoughheknewtheshamethathadcloudedherlife，knewthemotivethathadledhertoaccepthimasahusband。

More——byasublimeaudacity，hedeclaredthatshelovedhim。

Therecameathrillinherhearteachtimeshethoughtofthat——thatshelovedhim。Theideawasmonstrous，ofcourse，andyet——Here，asalways，shebrokeoff，ahotflushblazinginhercheeks……Nevertheless，suchcuriousfanciespursuedherthroughthehours。Shestrovehermightiesttoridherselfofthem，butinvain。Evertheypersisted。Shesoughttooustthembythinkingofanyoneelse，ofAggie，ofJoe。Thereatlastwassatisfaction。HerinterferencebetweenthemanwhohadsavedherlifeandthetemptationoftheEnglishcrookhadpreventedadangerousventure，whichmighthavemeantruintotheonewhomsheesteemedforhisdevotiontoher，iffornootherreason。Atleast，shehadkepthimfromtheoutrageousfollyofanordinaryburglary。

MaryTurnerwasjustreadyforbedafterhereveningatthetheater，whenshewasrudelystartledoutofthisbelief。Anotecamebyamessengerwhowaitedfornoanswer，ashetoldtheyawningmaid。AsMaryreadtheroughlyscrawledmessage，shewascaughtinthegripofterror。Someinstinctwarnedherthatthisdangerwasevenworsethanitseemed。Themanwhohadsavedherfromdeathhadyieldedtotemptation。Evennow，hewasengagedincommittingthatcrimewhichshehadforbiddenhim。Ashehadsavedher，soshemustsavehim。Shehurriedintothegownshehadjustputoff。Thenshewenttothetelephone-bookandsearchedforthenumberofGilder\'shouse。

*****

ItwasjustafewmomentsbeforeMaryTurnerreceivedthenotefromthehandsofthesleepymaidthatoneoftheleavesoftheoctagonalwindowinthelibraryofRichardGilder\'stownhouseswungopen，underthepersuasiveinfluenceofathinrodofsteel，cunninglyused，andJoeGarsonsteppedconfidentlyintothedarkroom。

Afaintradianceofmoonlightfromwithoutshowedhimforasecondashepassedbetweentheheavydraperies。Thenthesefellintoplace，andhewasinvisible，andsoundlessaswell。Foraspace，herestedmotionless，listeningintently。Reassured，hedrewoutanelectrictorchandsetitglowing。Alittlediscoflighttouchedhereandthereabouttheroom，travelingveryswiftly，andinmethodicalcircles。Satisfiedbythesurvey，Garsoncrossedtothehalldoor。Hemovedwithalertassurance，lithelybalancedontheballsofhisfeet，noiselessly。Atthehalldoorhelistenedforanysoundoflifewithout，andfoundnone。Thedoorintothepassagethatledtothestore-roomwherethedetectiveswaitednextengagedhisbusiness-likeattention。

Andhere，again，therewasnaughttoprovokehissuspicion。

Thesepreliminariestakenasmeasuresofprecaution，Garsonwentboldlytothesmalltablethatstoodbehindthecouch，turnedthebutton，andthesoftglowofanelectriclampilluminedtheapartment。Theextinguishedtorchwasthrustbackintohispocket。Afterwardhecarriedoneoftheheavychairstothedoorofthepassageandproppeditagainstthepanelinsuchwisethatitsfallmustgivewarningastotheopeningofthedoor。Hiseveryactionwasperformedwiththemaximumofspeed，withnoleasttraceofflurryorofnervoushaste。Itwasevidentthathefollowedadefiniteprogram，thefruitofprecisethoughtguidedbyexperience。

Itseemedtohimthatnoweverythingwasinreadinessforthecomingofhisassociatesinthecommissionofthecrime。Thereremainedonlytogivethemthesignalintheroomaroundthecornerwheretheywaitedatatelephone。HeseatedhimselfinGilder\'schairatthedesk，anddrewthetelephonetohim。

"Giveme999Bryant，"hesaid。Histonewashardlylouderthanawhisper，butspokenwithgreatdistinctness。

Therewasalittlewait。Thenananswerinavoiceheknewcameoverthewire。

ButGarsonsaidnothingmore。Instead，hepickedupapenholderfromthetrayonthedesk，andbegantappinglightlyontherimofthetransmitter。ItwasacodemessageinMorse。Intheroomaroundthecorner，thetappingsoundedclearly，tickingoutthemessagethatthewaywasfreeforthethieves\'coming。

WhenGarsonhadmadeanendofthetelegraphing，therecameabriefanswerinlikeMorse，towhichhereturnedashortdirection。

Forafinalsafeguard，Garsonsearchedforandfoundthetelephonebell-boxonthesurbasebelowtheoctagonalwindow。Itwastheworkofonlyafewsecondstounscrewthebells，whichheplacedonthedesk。Sosimplyhemadeprovisionagainstanyalarmfromthissource。Hethentookhispistolfromhiship-pocket，examinedittomakesurethatthesilencerwasproperlyadjusted，andthenthrustitintotherightside-pocketofhiscoat，readyforinstantuseindesperateemergency。Onceagain，now，heproducedtheelectrictorch，andlighteditasheextinguishedthelamponthetable。

Forthwith，Garsonwenttothedoorintothehall，openedit，and，leavingitajar，madehiswayinsilencetotheouterdoorway。

Presently，thedoorstherewerefreedoftheirboltsunderhisskilledfingers，andoneofthemswungwide。Hehadputoutthetorchnow，lestitsgleammightcatchthegazeofsomecasualpasser-by。Sonicelyhadtheaffairbeentimedthathardlywasthedooropenbeforethethreemenslippedin，andstoodmuteandmotionlessinthehall，whileGarsonrefastenedthedoors。Then，apenciloflighttracedthelengthofthehallwayandGarsonwalkedquicklybacktothelibrary。Behindhimwithstepsasnoiselessashisowncamethethreementowhomhehadjustgiventhemessage。

Whenallweregatheredinthelibrary，Garsonshutthehalldoor，touchedthebuttoninthewallbesideit，andthechandelierthrewitsradiantlightonthegroup。

Griggswasineveningclothes，seemingaveryelegantyounggentlemanindeed，buthistwocompanionswereofgrossertype，asfarasappearanceswent:one，Dacey，thinandwiry，withaferretface；theother，ChicagoRed，abrawnyruffian，whosestolidfeaturesneverthelessexhibitedsomethingofhalf-sullengoodnature。

"Everythingallrightsofar，"Garsonsaidrapidly。HeturnedtoGriggsandpointedtowardtheheavyhangingsthatshroudedtheoctagonalwindow。"Arethosethethingswewant？"hedemanded。

"Yes，"wastheanswerofEnglishEddie。

"Well，then，we\'vegottogetbusy，"Garsonwenton。Hisalert，strongfacewassetinlinesofeagernessthathadinitsomethingoffiercenessnow。

But，beforehecouldaddadirection，hewashaltedbyasoftbuzzingfromthetelephone，which，thoughbell-less，stillgavethisfaintwarningofacall。Foraninstant，hehesitatedwhiletheothersregardedhimdoubtfully。Thesituationofferedperplexities。Togivenoattentiontothesummonsmightbeperilous，andfailuretorespondmightprovokeinvestigationinsomeurgentmatter；toansweritmighteasilyprovidealargerdanger。

"We\'vegottotakeachance。"Garsonspokehisdecisioncurtly。

Hewenttothedeskandputthereceivertohisear。

Therecameagainthefainttappingofsomeoneattheotherendoftheline，signalingamessageintheMorsecode。Anexpressionofblankamazement，whichgrewinaflashtodeepconcern，showedonGarson\'sfaceashelistenedtensely。

"Why，thisisMarycalling，"hemuttered。

"Mary!"Griggscried。Hisusualvacuityofexpressionwascastofflikeamaskandalarmtwistedhisfeatures。Then，inthenextinstant，acraftytriumphgleamedfromhiseyes。

"Yes，she\'son，"Garsoninterpreted，amomentlater，asthetappingceasedforalittle。Hetranslatedinaloudwhisperastheirregulartickingnoisesoundedagain。

"Ishallbethereatthehousealmostatonce。Iamsendingthismessagefromthedrugstorearoundthecorner。Havesomeoneopenthedoorformeimmediately。"

"She\'scomingover，"Griggscriedincredulously。

"No，I\'llstopher，"Garsondeclaredfirmly。

"Right!Stopher，"ChicagoRedvouchsafed。

But，when，aftertappingafewwords，theforgerpausedforthereply，nosoundcame。

"Shedon\'tanswer，"heexclaimed，greatlydisconcerted。Hetriedagain，stillwithoutresult。Atthat，hehungupthereceiverwithagroan。"She\'sgone——"

"Onherwayalready，"Griggssuggested，andtherewasnonetodoubtthatitwasso。

"What\'sshecomingherefor？"Garsonexclaimedharshly。"Thisain\'tnoplaceforher!Why，ifanythingshouldgowrongnow——"

ButGriggsinterruptedhimwithhisusualbreezycheerfulnessofmanner。

"Oh，nothingcangowrongnow，oldtop。I\'llletherin。"Hedrewasmalltorchfromtheskirt-pocketofhiscoatandcrossedtothehalldoor，asGarsonnoddedassent。

"God!Whydidshehavetocome？"Garsonmuttered，filledwithforebodings。"Ifanythingshouldgowrongnow!"

Heturnedbacktowardthedoorjustasitopened，andMarydartedintotheroomwithGriggsfollowing。"Whatdoyouwanthere？"hedemanded，withperemptorysavagenessinhisvoice，whichwasatonehehadneverhithertousedinaddressingher。

MarywentswiftlytofaceGarsonwherehestoodbythedesk，whileGriggsjoinedtheothertwomenwhostoodshufflingaboutuneasilybythefireplace，atalossoverthisintrusionontheirscheme。Marymovedwithalissomegracelikethatofsomewildcreature，butasshehaltedoppositethemanwhohadgivenherbackthelifeshewouldhavethrownaway，therewasonlytenderpleadinginhervoice，thoughherwordswereanarraignment。

"Joe，youliedtome。"

"Thatcanbesettledlater，"themansnapped。Hisjawwasthrustforwardobstinately，andhiscleareyessparkleddefiantly。

"Youarefools，allofyou!"Marycried。Hereyesdarkenedanddistendedwithfear。TheydartedfromGarsontotheotherthreemen，andbackagaininrebuke。"Yes，fools!Thisisburglary。I

can\'tprotectyouifyouarecaught。HowcanI？Oh，come!"SheheldoutherhandspleadinglytowardGarson，andhervoicedroppedtobeseeching。"Joe，Joe，youmustgetawayfromthishouseatonce，allofyou。Joe，makethemgo。"

"It\'stoolate，"wasthesternanswer。Therewasnoleastrelaxationinthestubbornlinesofhisface。"We\'reherenow，andwe\'llstaytillthebusinessisdone。"

Marywentastepforward。Thecloakshewaswearingwasthrownbackbyhergestureofappealsothatthosewatchingsawthesnowyslopeoftheshouldersandthequickriseandfallofthegentlycurvingbosom。Thebeautifulfacewithintheframingscarfwascolorlesswithagreatfear，saveonlythecrimsonlips，ofwhichthebowwasbenttremulouslyasshespokeherprayer。

"Joe，formysake!"

Butthemanwasinexorable。Hehadsethimselftothisthing，andeventheurgingoftheonepersonintheworldforwhomhemostcaredwaspowerlessagainsthisresolve。

"Ican\'tquitnowuntilwe\'vegotwhatwecamehereafter，"hedeclaredroughly。

Ofasudden，thegirlmadeshifttoemployanothersortofsupplication。

"Buttherearereasons，"shesaid，faltering。Acertainembarrassmentswepther，andtheivoryofhercheeksbloomedrosily。"I——Ican\'thaveyourobthishouse，thisparticularhouseofalltheworld。"Hereyesleapedfromthestillobduratefaceoftheforgertothegroupofthreebackofhim。Hervoicewasshakenwithagreatdreadasshecalledouttothem。

"Boys，let\'sgetaway!Please，oh，please!Joe，forGod\'ssake!"

Hertonewasasob。

HeranguishoffeardidnotswerveGarsonfromhispurpose。

"I\'mgoingtoseethisthrough，"hesaid，doggedly。

"But，Joe——"

"It\'ssettled，Itellyou。"

Intheman\'semphasisthegirlrealizedatlasttheinefficacyofhereffortstocombathiswill。Sheseemedtodroopvisiblybeforetheireyes。Herheadsankonherbreast。Hervoicewashuskyasshetriedtospeak。

"Then——"Shebrokeoffwithagestureofdespair，andturnedawaytowardthedoorbywhichshehadentered。

But，withamovementofgreatswiftness，Garsongotinfrontofher，andbarredhergoing。Forafewsecondsthetwostaredateachothersearchinglyasiflearningnewandstrangethings，eachoftheother。Inthegirl\'sexpressionwasanoutragedwonderandagreatterror。Intheman\'swasahalf-shamedpride，asifheexultedinthestrengthwithwhichhehadbeenabletomaintainhiswillagainsthersupremeefforttooverthrowit。

"Youcan\'tgo，"Garsonsaidsharply。"Youmightbecaught。"

"AndifIwere，"Marydemandedinaflashofindignation，"doyouthinkI\'dtell？"

Therecameanabruptchangeinthehardfaceoftheman。Intothepiercingeyesflamedasofterfireoftenderness。Thefirmmouthgrewstrangelygentleashereplied，andhisvoicewasovertonedwithfaith。

"Ofcoursenot，Mary，"hesaid。"Iknowyou。Youwouldgoupforlifefirst。"

Thenagainhisexpressionbecameresolute，andhespokeimperiously。

"Justthesame，youcan\'ttakeanychances。We\'llallgetawayinaminute，andyou\'llcomewithus。"Heturnedtothemenandspokewithswiftauthority。

"Come，"hesaidtoDacey，"yougettothelightswitchtherebythehalldoor。Ifyouhearmesnapmyfingers，turn\'emoff。

Understand？"

Withinstantobedience，themanaddressedwenttohisstationbythehalldoor，andstoodreadytocontroltheelectriccurrent。

Thedistractedgirlessayedonelastplea。ThemomentarysofteningofGarsonhadgivenhernewcourage。

"Joe，don\'tdothis。"

"Youcan\'tstopitnow，Mary，"camethebriskretort。"Toolate。

You\'reonlywastingtime，makingitdangerousforallofus。"

Againhegavehisattentiontocarryingontherobbery。

"Red，"heordered，"yougettothatdoor。"Hepointedtotheonethatgaveonthepassagewayagainstwhichhehadsetthechairtilted。Asthemanobeyed，Garsongavefurtherinstructions。

"Ifanyonecomesinthatway，gethimandgethimquick。Youunderstand？Don\'tlethimcryout。"

ChicagoRedgrinnedwithcheerfulacceptanceoftheissueinsuchanencounter。Hehelduphishugehand，widelyopen。

"Notachance，"hedeclared，proudly，"withthatoverhismug。"

Toavoidpossibleinterruptionofhismovementsinanemergency，heremovedthechairGarsonhadplacedandsetittooneside，outoftheway。

"Now，let\'sgettowork，"Garsoncontinuedeagerly。Maryspokewiththebitternessofdefeat。

"Listen，Joe!Ifyoudothis，I\'mthroughwithyou。Iquit。"

Garsonwasundismayedbythethreat。

"Ifthisgoesthrough，"hecountered，"we\'llallquit。That\'swhyI\'mdoingit。I\'msickofthegame。"

Heturnedtotheworkinhandwithincreasedenergy。

"Come，you，GriggsandRed，andpushthatdeskdownabitsothatIcanstandonit。"Thetwomenbenttothetask，heedlessofMary\'sfranticprotest。

"No!no!no!no!no，Joe!"