第11章

Anditsochancedthatatthisincriminatingcrisisfortheson，thefatherhastilystrodewithinthelibrary。HehadbeenarousedbytheInspector\'sshouting，andwasevidentlygreatlyperturbed。Hisusualdignifiedairwasmarredbyapatentalarm。

"What\'sallthis？"heexclaimed，ashehaltedandstareddoubtfullyonthescenebeforehim。

Burke，inamomentlikethis，wasnorespecterofpersons，forallhisjudiciousattentionsonotheroccasionstothosewhoseinfluencemightservehimwellforbenefitsreceived。

"Youcanseeforyourself，"hesaidgrimlytothedumfoundedmagnate。Then，hefixedsinistereyesontheson。"So，"hewenton，withsombermenaceinhisvoice，"youdidit，youngman。"Henoddedtowardthedetective。"Well，Cassidy，youcantake\'embothdown-town……That\'sall。"

ThecommandarousedDicktoremonstranceagainstsuchindignitytowardthewomanwhomheloved。

"Nother!"hecried，imploringly。"Youdon\'twanther，Inspector!Thisisallwrong!"

Now，atlast，Maryinterposedwithanewspirit。Shehadregained，insomemeasureatleast，herpoise。Shewasspeakingagainwiththatmentalclaritywhichwasdistinctiveinher。

"Dick，"sheadvisedquietly，butwithunderlyingurgencyinhergentlyspokenwords，"don\'ttalk，please。"

Burkelaughedharshly。

"Whatdoyouexpect？"heinquiredtruculently。"Asamatteroffact，thething\'ssimpleenough，youngman。EitheryoukilledGriggs，orshedid。"

TheInspector，withhischarge，madeacarelessgesturetowardthecorpseofthemurderedstool-pigeon。Forthefirsttime，EdwardGilder，ashisglanceunconsciouslyfollowedtheofficer\'smovement，lookedandsawtheghastlyinanimateheapoffleshandbonethathadoncebeenaman。Hefairlyreeledatthegruesomespectacle，thenfumbledwithanoutstretchedhandashemovedstumblinglyuntilhelaidholdonachair，intowhichhesankhelplessly。Itsuddenlysmoteuponhisconsciousnessthathefeltveryoldandbroken。Hemarveleddullyoverthesensation——itwaswhollynewtohim。Then，soon，fromalongwayoff，heheardthestridentvoiceoftheInspectorremorselesslycontinuinginthevile，theimpossibleaccusation……Andthatgrotesqueaccusationwashurledagainsthisonlyson——theboywhomhesoloved。Thethingwasmonstrous，athingincredible。

Thiswholeseemingwasnomorethanachimeraofthenight，aphantomofbaddreams，withnotruthunderit……Yet，thesternvoiceoftheofficialcamewithastrangesemblanceofreality。

"Eitheryoukilledhim，"thevoicerepeatedgratingly，"orshedid。Well，then，youngman，didshekillhim？"

"GoodGod，no!"Dickshouted，aghast。

"Then，itwasyou!"SuchwastheInspector\'ssummaryofthecase。

Mary\'swordscamefrantically。Onceagain，shewasbecomedesperateoverthecourseofeventsinthisnightoffearfulhappenings。

"No，no!Hedidn\'t!"

Burke\'sraspingvoicereiteratedtheaccusationwithacertaincomplacencyintheinevitabilityofthedilemma。

"OneofyoukilledGriggs。Whichoneofyoudidit？"HescowledatDick。"Didshekillhim？"

Again，thehusband\'scrycamewiththefiercenessofdespairoverthefateofthewoman。

"Itoldyou，no!"

TheInspector，alwayssavagelyimpressivenowinvoiceandlookandgesture，facedthegirlwithsaturninepersistence。

"Well，then，"heblustered，"didhekillhim？"

ThenodofhisheadwastowardDick。Then，assheremainedsilent:"I\'mtalkingtoyou!"hesnapped。"Didhekillhim？"

Thereplycamewithasoftdistinctnessthatwaslikeacrashofdestiny。

"Yes。"

Dickturnedtohiswifeinreproachfulamazement。

"Mary!"hecried，incredulously。Thisbetrayalwassomethinginconceivablefromher，sincehebelievedthatnowatlastheknewherheart。

Burke，however，asusual，paidnoheedtothenicetiesofsentiment。Theyhadsmallplaceinhisconcernsasanofficialofpolice。Hissoleambitionjustnowwastofixthecrimedefinitelyontheperpetrator。

"You\'llswearhekilledhim？"heasked，briskly，wellcontentwiththisconcreteresultoftheentanglement。

Marysubtlyevadedthequestion，whileseemingtogiveunqualifiedassent。

"Whynot？"sherespondedlistlessly。

Atthisintolerableassertionashedeemedit，EdwardGilderwasreanimated。Hesatrigidlyerectinhis，chair。Inthatfrightfulmoment，itcametohimanewthatherewasinveritythelastdetailinaconsummateschemebythiswomanforrevengeagainsthimself。

"God!"hecried，despairingly。"Andthat\'syourvengeance!"

Maryheard，andunderstood。Therecameaninscrutablesmileonhercurvinglips，buttherewasnosatisfactioninthatsmile，asofonewhorealizedthefruitionoflong-cherishedschemesofretribution。Instead，therewasonlyaninfinitesadness，whileshespokeverygently。

"Idon\'twantvengeance——now!"shesaid。

"Butthey\'lltrymyboyformurder，"themagnateremonstrated，distraught。

"Oh，no，theycan\'t!"cametherejoinder。Andnow，onceagain，therewasahintofthequizzicalcreepinginthesmile。"No，theycan\'t!"sherepeatedfirmly，andtherewasprofoundreliefinhertonessinceatlastheringenuityhadfoundawayoutofthisoutrageoussituationthrustonherandonherhusband。

Burkeglaredatthespeakerinaragethatwasabruptlygrownsuspiciousinsomevagueway。

"What\'sthereasonwecan\'t？"hestormed。

Marysprangtoherfeet。Shewasradiantwithanewserenity，nowthatherquick-wittednesshaddiscoveredamethodforbafflingthemeshofevidencethathadbeenwovenaboutherandDickthroughnofaultoftheirown。Hereyeswereglowingwithevenmorethantheirusuallusters。Hervoicecamesoftlymodulated，almostmocking。

"Becauseyoucouldn\'tconvicthim，"shesaidsuccinctly。A

contentedsmilebenttheredgracesofherlips。

Burkesneeredanindignationthatwas，nevertheless，somewhatfearfulofwhatmightliebehindthewoman\'sassurance。

"What\'sthereason？"hedemanded，scornfully。"There\'sthebody。"Hepointedtotherigidformofthedeadman，lyingtheresoverynearthem。"Andthegunwasfoundonhim。Andthen，you\'rewillingtoswearthathekilledhim……Well，Iguesswe\'llconvicthim，allright。Whynot？"

Mary\'sanswerwasgivenquietly，but，nonetheless，withanassurancethatcouldnotbegainsaid。

"Because，"shesaid，"myhusbandmerelykilledaburglar。"Inherturn，shepointedtowardthebodyofthedeadman。"Thatman，"shecontinuedevenly，"wastheburglar。Youknowthat!Myhusbandshothimindefenseofhishome!"Therewasabriefsilence。Then，sheadded，withawonderfulmildnessinthemusicofhervoice。"Andso，Inspector，asyouknowofcourse，hewaswithinthelaw!"

CHAPTERXX。WHOSHOTGRIGGS？

Inhisofficenextmorning，InspectorBurkewasfumingoverthefailureofhisconspiracy。Hehadhopedthroughthisplottovindicatehisauthority，sosadlyflauntedbyGarsonandMaryTurner。Insteadofthismuch-to-be-desiredresultfromhisscheming，theoutcomehadbeennothinglessthandisastrous。Theonecertainfactwasthathismostvaluableallyinhiswarfareagainstthecriminalsofthecityhadbeendonetodeath。SomeonehadmurderedGriggs，thestool-pigeon。WhereBurkehadmeanttoserveamanofhighinfluence，EdwardGilder，byrailroadingthebrideofthemagnate\'ssontoprison，hehadsucceededonlyinmakingthetroubleofthatmerchantprincevastlyworseintheendingoftheaffairbyarrestingthesonforthecapitalcrimeofmurder。Thesituationwas，inverytruth，intolerable。Morethanever，Burkegrewhotwithintenttoovercomethewomanwhohadsopersistentlyoutragedhisauthoritybyheringeniousdevicesagainstthelaw。Anyhow，themurderofGriggscouldnotgounpunished。Theslayer\'sidentitymustbedetermined，andthereaftertheduepenaltyofthelawinflicted，whoevertheguiltypersonmightprovetobe。Tothediscoveryofthisidentity，theInspectorwasatthepresentmomentdevotinghimselfbyadroitquestioningofDaceyandChicagoRed，whohadbeenarrestedinoneoftheiraccustomedhauntsbyhismenashorttimebefore。

Thepolicemanondutyatthedoorwastheonlyotherpersonintheroom，andinconsequenceBurkepermittedhimself，quiteunashamed，toemploythosemethodsofpersuasionwhichhaverisentoahighdegreeofadmirationinpolicecircles。

"Comeacrossnow!"headmonished。HisvoicerolledforthlikethatofabullofBashan。Hewasonhisfeet，facingthetwothieves。Hisheadwasthrustforwardmenacingly，andhiseyesweresavage。Thetwomenshrankbeforehim——bothinnaturalfear，and，too，inafurtivepolicyoftheirown。Thiswasnooccasionforthemtoassertapersonalprideagainstthemanwhohadtheminhistoils。

"Idon\'tknownothin\'!"ChicagoRed\'svoicewasbetweenasnarlandawhine。"Ain\'tIbeentellingyouthatforoveranhour？"

Burkevouchsafednoanswerinspeech，butwithanimblenesssurprisinginoneofhisbulk，gaveDacey，whochancedtobethenearerofthetwo，ashovethatsentthefellowstaggeringhalf-wayacrosstheroomunderitsimpetus。

Withthisbywayofappreciableintroductiontohisseriousnessofpurpose，Burkeputaquestion:

"Dacey，howlonghaveyoubeenout？"

Theanswercameinasibilantwhisperofdread。

"Aweek。"

Burkepushedtheimplicationbrutally。

"Wanttogobackforanotherstretch？"TheInspector\'svoicewasfreightedwithsuggestionsofdisasterstocome，whichwerewellunderstoodbythecringingwretchbeforehim。

Thethiefshuddered，andhisface，alreadypallidfromtheprisonlackofsunlightlikesomenoxiousgrowthofacellar，becamelivid。Hiswordscameinamuffledmoanoffear。

"God，no!"

Burkeleftalittleintervalofsilencetheninwhichthethievesmighttrembleovertheprospectsuggestedbyhiswords，butalwayshemaintainedhissteady，relentlessglareonthecowedcreatures。Itwasafamiliarwarfarewithhim。Yet，inthisinstance，hewasdestinedtofailure，forthemenwereofatypedifferentfromthatofEnglishEddie，whowaslyingdeadasthemeetrewardfortreacherytohisfellows……When，atlast，hisquestionissuedfromtheclose-shutlips，itcamelikethecrackofagun。

"WhoshotGriggs？"

Thereplywasachorusfromthetwo:

"Idon\'tknow——honest，Idon\'t!"

Inhiseagerness，ChicagoRedmovedtowardhisquestioner——unwisely。

"HonesttoGawd，Idon\'tknownothin\'aboutit!"

TheInspector\'sfistshotouttowardChicagoRed\'sjaw。Theimpactwasenough。Thethiefwenttohiskneesundertheblow。

"Now，getup——andtalk!"Burke\'svoicecamewithunrepentantnoisinessagainstthestrickenman。

Cringingly，ChicagoRed，whosogloriedinhisstrength，yetwasnowaltogetherhumbleinthisprecariouscase，obeyedasfarasthegettingtohisfeetwasconcerned……Itneveroccurredtohimeventhatheshouldcarryhisobediencetothepointof"squealingonapal!"Hadthecircumstancesbeendifferent，hemighthaverefusedtoaccepttheInspector\'sblowwithsuchmeekness，sinceaboveallthingshelovedabitofbodilystrifewithsomeonenearhisownstrength，andtheInspectorwasofasorttoofferhimabattleworthwhile。

So，now，whilehegotslowlytohisfeet，hetookcaretokeepatarespectfuldistancefromtheofficial，thoughhisbighandsfairlyachedtodoubleintofistsforblowswiththismanwhohadsomaltreatedhim。

Hisownself-respect，ofitspeculiarsort，wassavedbytheinterferenceofCassidy，whoenteredtheInspector\'sofficetoannouncethearrivaloftheDistrictAttorney。

"Send\'imin，"Burkedirectedatonce。Hemadeagesturetowardthedoorman，andadded:"Take\'emback!"

Agrinofevilhumorwrithedthelipsofthepoliceofficial，andheaddedtotheattentivedoormanawordofdirectionthatmightwellbeinterpretedbythemalevolentexpressiononhisface。

"Don\'tberoughwith\'em，Dan，"hesaid。Foronce，hisdominatingvoicewasreducedtosomethingapproachingsoftness，inhissardonicappreciationofhisownhumorintheconceptionofwhatthesetwomen，whohadventuredtoresisthisimportunities，mightreceiveatthehandsofhisfaithfulsatellites……Thedoormangrinnedappreciatively，andherdedhisvictimsfromtheplace。Andthetwowentshamblinglyinsureknowledgeofthethingsthatwereinstore。Yet，withoutthoughtoftreachery。Theywouldnot"squeal"!AlltheywouldtellofthedeathofEddieGriggswouldbe:"Hegotwhatwascomingtohim!"

TheInspectordroppedintohisswivelchairatthedeskwhilstheawaitedthearrivalofDemarest，theDistrictAttorney。Thegreetingsbetweenthetwowerecordialwhenatlastthepublicprosecutormadehisappearance。

"IcameassoonasIgotyourmessage，"theDistrictAttorneysaid，asheseatedhimselfinachairbythedesk。"AndI\'vesentwordtoMr。Gilder……Now，then，Burke，let\'shavethisthingquickly。"

TheInspector\'sexplanationwasconcise:

"JoeGarson，ChicagoRed，andDacey，alongwithGriggs，brokeintoEdwardGilder\'shouse，lastnight!Iknewthetrickwasgoingtobepulledoff，andsoIplantedCassidyandacoupleofothermenjustoutsidetheroomwherethehaulwastobemade。

Then，Iwentaway，andaftersomethinglikehalfanhourIcamebacktomakethearrestsmyself。"AlookofintensedisgustspreaditselfovertheInspector\'smassiveface。"Well，"heconcludedsheepishly，"whenIbrokeintotheroomIfoundyoungGilderalongwiththatTurnerwomanhemarried，andtheywerejusttalkingtogether。"

"Notraceoftheothers？"Demarestquestionedcrisply。

Attheinquiry，Burke\'sfacecrimsonedangrily，thenagainsetingrimlines。

"IfoundGriggslyingonthefloor——dead!"Onceagainthedisgustshowedinhisexpression。"TheTurnerwomansaysyoungGildershotGriggsbecausehebrokeintothehouse。Ain\'tthatthelimit？"

"Whatdoestheboysay？"theDistrictAttorneydemanded。

Burkeshookhisheaddispiritedly。

"Nothing，"heanswered。"Shetoldhimnottotalk，andso，ofcourse，hewon\'t，he\'ssuchafooloverher。"

"Andwhatdoesshesay？"Demarestasked。HefoundhimselfratheramusedbytheexceedingchagrinoftheInspectoroverthisaffair。

Burke\'svoicegrewsavageashesnappedareply。

"Refusestotalktillsheseesalawyer。Butatouchofcheerfulnessappearedinhistonesasheproceeded。"We\'vegotChicagoRedandDacey，andwe\'llhaveGarsonbeforetheday\'sover。And，oh，yes，they\'vepickedupayounggirlattheTurnerwoman\'splace。Andwe\'vegotonerealclue——foronce!"Thespeaker\'sexpressionwassuddenlytriumphant。Heopenedadrawerofthedesk，andtookoutGarson\'spistol，towhichthesilencerwasstillattached。

"Youneversawagunlikethatbefore，eh？"heexclaimed。

Demarestadmittedthefactafteracuriousexamination。

"I\'llbetyouneverdid!"Burkecried，withsatisfaction。"ThatthingontheendisaMaximsilencer。Therearethousandsoftheminuseonrifles，butthey\'veneverbeenabletousethemonrevolversbefore。Thisisaspeciallymadegun，"hewentonadmiringly，ashetookitbackandslippeditintoapocketofhiscoat。"Thatthingisabsolutelynoiseless。I\'vetriedit。

Well，yousee，it\'llbeaneasything——easiestthingintheworld!——totracethatsilencerattachment。Cassidy\'sworkingonthatendofthethingnow。"

Forafewminuteslonger，thetwomendiscussedthedetailsofthecrime，theorizingoverthebafflingevent。Then，presently，Cassidyenteredtheoffice，andmadereportofhisinvestigationsconcerningthepistolwiththesilencerattachment。

"IgotthefactoryatHartfordonthewire，"heexplained，"andtheygavemeMr。Maximhimself，theinventorofthesilencer。Hesaidthiswassurelyaspecialgun，whichwasmadefortheuseofHenrySylvester，oneoftheprofessorsatYale。Hewanteditfordemonstrationpurposes。Mr。Maximsaidthethingshaveneverbeenputonthemarket，andthattheyneverwillbe。"

"Forhumanereasons，"Demarestcommented，noddingapprobation。

"Goodthing，too!"Burkeconceded。"They\'dmakemurdertoodevilisheasy，andit\'seasyenoughnow……Well，Cassidy？"

"Igotholdofthisman，Sylvester，"Cassidywenton。"Ihadhimonthe\'phone，too。Hesaysthathishousewasrobbedabouteightweeksago，andamongotherthingsthesilencerwasstolen。"

Cassidypaused，andchuckleddrily。"HeaddsthestartlinginformationthattheNewHavenpolicehavenotbeenabletorecoveranyofthestolenproperty。Themrubecopsareimmense!"

Demarestsmiledslyly，asthedetective，atanodfromhissuperior，wenttowardthedoor。

"No，"hesaid，maliciously；"onlytheNewYorkpolicerecoverstolengoods。"

"Good-night!"quothCassidy，turningatthedoor，inadmissionofhisdiscomfitureoverthethrust，whileBurkehimselfgrinnedwrylyinappreciationofthegibe。

Demarestgrewgraveagain，asheputthequestionthatwastroublinghimmost。

"IsthereanychancethatyoungGilderdidshootGriggs？"

"Youcansearchme!"theInspectoranswered，disconsolately。"MymenwerejustoutsidethedooroftheroomwhereEddieGriggswasshottodeath，andnoneof\'emheardasound。It\'sthatinfernalsilencerthing。Ofcourse，Iknowthatallthegangwasinthehouse。"

"Buttellmejusthowyouknowthatfact，"Demarestobjectedverycrisply。"Didyouseethemgoin？"

"No，Ididn\'t，"theInspectoradmitted，tartly。"ButGriggs——"

Demarestpermittedhimselfasneerbornoflegalknowledge。

"Griggsisdead，Burke。You\'reupagainstit。Youcan\'tprovethatGarson，orChicagoRed，orDacey，everenteredthathouse。"

TheInspectorscowledoverthispositivestatement。

"ButGriggssaidtheyweregoingto，"heargued。

"Iknow，"Demarestagreed，withanexasperatingairofshrewdness；"butGriggsisdead。Yousee，Burke，youcouldn\'tinatrialevenrepeatwhathetoldyou。It\'snotpermissibleevidence。"

"Oh，thelaw!"theInspectorsnorted，withmuchcholer。"Well，then，"hewentonbelligerently，"I\'llchargeyoungGilderwithmurder，andcalltheTurnerwomanasawitness。"

TheDistrictAttorneylaughedaloudoverthisproject。

"Youcan\'tquestionheronthewitness-stand，"heexplainedpatronizinglytothebadgeredpoliceofficial。"Thelawdoesn\'tallowyoutomakeawifetestifyagainstherhusband。And，what\'smore，youcan\'tarresther，andthenforcehertogointothewitness-stand，either。No，Burke，"heconcludedemphatically，"youronlychanceofgettingthemurdererofGriggsisbyaconfession。"

"Then，I\'llchargethembothwiththemurder，"theInspectorgrowledvindictively。"And，byGod，they\'llbothgototrialunlesssomebodycomesthrough。"Hebroughthishugefistdownonthedeskwithviolence，andhisvoicewasforbidding。"Ifit\'smylastactonearth，"hedeclared，"I\'mgoingtogetthemanwhoshotEddieGriggs。"

Demarestwasseriouslydisturbedbythesituationthathaddeveloped。HewasundergreatpersonalobligationstoEdwardGilder，whoseinfluenceinfacthadbeentheprimecauseofhissuccessinattainingtotheimportantofficialpositionhenowheld，andhewouldhavegonefartoservethemagnateinanydifficultythatmightarise。Hehadbeenperfectlywillingtoemployalltheresourcesofhisofficetorelievethesonfromtheentanglementwithawomanofunsavorynotoriety。Now，thankstothemiscarriedplottingofBurketothelikeend，whatbeforehadbeenmerelyaviciousstateofaffairswasbecomeoneoftheutmostdreadfulness。TheworstofcrimeshadbeencommittedinthehouseofEdwardGilderhimself，andhissonacknowledgedhimselfasthemurderer。

TheDistrictAttorneyfeltagenuinesorrowinthinkingoftheanguishthiseventmusthavebroughtonthefather。Hehad，aswell，sympathyenoughfortheson。Hisacquaintancewiththeyoungmanconvincedhimthattheboyhadnotdonethedeedofbloodyviolence。Inthatfactwasaminglingofcomfortandofanxiety。Ithadbeenbetter，doubtless，ifindeedDickhadshotGriggs，hadindictedajustpenaltyonahousebreaker。ButtheDistrictAttorneywasnotinclinedtocredittheconfession。Burke\'saccountoftheplotinwhichthestool-pigeonhadbeentheagentofferedtoomanycomplications。Altogether，theaspectofthecaseservedtoindicatethatDickcouldnothavebeentheslayer……Demarestshookhisheaddejectedly。

"Burke，"hesaid，"Iwanttheboytogofree。Idon\'tbelieveforaminutethatDickGildereverkilledthispetstool-pigeonofyours。And，so，youmustunderstandthis:Iwanthimtogofree，ofcourse。"

Burkefrownedrefusalatthissuggestion。Herewasamatterinwhichhisrightsmustnotbeinvaded。He，too，wouldhavegonefartoserveamanofEdwardGilder\'sstanding，butinthisinstancehisprofessionalpridewasinrevolt。Hehadbeendefied，trapped，madeavictimofthegangwhohadkilledhismostvaluedinformer。

"Theyoungster\'llgofreewhenhetellswhatheknows，"hesaidangrily，"andnotaminutebefore。"Hisexpressionlightenedalittle。"Perhapstheoldgentlemancanmakehimtalk。Ican\'t。

He\'sunderthatwoman\'sthumb，ofcourse，andshe\'stoldhimhemustn\'tsayaword。So，hedon\'t。"Agrinofhalf-embarrassedappreciationmovedtheheavyjawsasheglancedattheDistrictAttorney。"Yousee，"heexplained，"Ican\'tmakehimtalk，butI

mightifcircumstancesweredifferent。Onaccountofhisbeingtheoldman\'sson，I\'malittlecrampedinmystyle。"

Itwas，intruth，onethingtobrowbeatandassaultaconvictlikeDaceyorChicagoRed，butquiteanothertoemploythelikeviolenceagainstayouthofDickGilder\'spositionintheworld。

Demarestunderstoodperfectly，buthewasinclinedtobescepticalovertheInspector\'stheorythatDickpossessedactualcognizanceastothekillingofGriggs。

"YouthinkthatyoungGilderreallyknows？"hequestioned，doubtfully。

"Idon\'tthinkanything——yet!"Burkeretorted。"AllIknowisthis:EddieGriggs，themostvaluablecrookthateverworkedforme，hasbeenmurdered。"Theofficial\'svoicewaschargedwiththreateningashewenton。"Andsomeone，manorwoman，isgoingtopayforit!"

"Woman？"Demarestrepeated，insomeastonishment。

Burke\'svoicecamemerciless。

"Imean，MaryTurner，"hesaidslowly。

Demarestwasshocked。

"But，Burke，"heexpostulated，"she\'snotthatsort。"TheInspectorsneeredopenly。

"Howdoyouknowsheain\'t？"hedemanded。"Well，anyhow，she\'smadeamonkeyoutofthePoliceDepartment，and，first，last，andallthetime，I\'macopper……Andthatremindsme，"hewentonwitharesumptionofhisusualcurtbluntness，"IwantyoutowaitforMr。Gilderoutside，whileIgetbusywiththegirlthey\'vebroughtdownfromMaryTurner\'sflat。"

CHAPTERXXI。AGGIEATBAY。

Burke，afterthelawyerhadlefthim，watchedthedoorexpectantlyforthecomingofthegirl，whomhehadorderedbroughtbeforehim。But，whenatlastDanappeared，andstoodasidetopermitherpassingintotheoffice，theInspectorgaspedattheunexpectednessofthevision。Hehadanticipatedthecomingofawomanofthatworldwithwhichhewasmostfamiliarintheexerciseofhisprofessionalduties——theunderworldofcriminals，someonebeautifulperhaps，butwiththebrandofviciousnessmarkedsubtly，yetvisiblyforthetrainedeyetosee。Then，eveninthatfirstmoment，hetoldhimselfthatheshouldhavebeenpreparedfortheunusualinthisinstance，sincethegirlhadtodowithMaryTurner，andthatdisturbingpersonherselfshowedinfaceandformandmannernothingtosuggestaughtbutagentlewoman。And，inthenextinstant，theInspectorforgothissurpriseinasincere，almostardentadmiration。

Thegirlwasrathershort，butofaslendereleganceofformthatwasravishing。Shewasgowned，too，withachicnicetytoarousetheenvyofallless-fortunatewomen。Hercostumehadaboutitanindubitableair，afinalityofperfectioninitskind。Onanother，itmighthaveappearedperhapsthemeresttriflegarish。

Butthatfault，ifinfactiteverexisted，wasmadeintoavirtuebythecorrectinginnocenceofthegirl\'sface。Itwasachildishface，childishintheexquisitesmoothnessofthesoft，pinkskin，childishinthewonderingstareoftheblueeyes，nowsowidelyopenedindismay，childishinthewistfuldroopingoftherosebudmouth。

Thegirladvancedslowly，withalaggardhesitationinhermovementsobviouslyfromfear。Sheapproachedthedesk，frombehindwhichtheInspectorwatched，fascinatedbythefreshandwholesomebeautyofthisyoungcreature。Hefailedtoobservetheunderlyingangerbeneaththegirl\'soutwarddisplayofalarm。

Heshookoffhisfirstimpressionbymeansofaresorttohiscustomaryblusterinsuchcases。

"Now，then，mygirl，"hesaidroughly，"Iwanttoknow——"

Therecameachange，wroughtinthetwinklingofaneye。Thetiny，trimlyshodfootofthegirlroseandfellinawrathfulstamp。

"Howdareyou!"Theclearblueeyeswerebecomedarkenedwithanger。Therewasadeepenedleafofredineithercheek。Thedroopinglipsdroopednolonger，butwerebenttoahaughtinessthatwasfinelyimpressive。

Beforetheoffendedindignationoftheyoungwoman，Burkesatbewilderedbyembarrassmentforonceinhislife，andquiteataloss。

"What\'sthat？"hesaid，dubiously。

Thegirlexplainedthematterexplicitlyenough。

"Whatdoyoumeanbythisoutrage？"shestormed。Hervoicewaslowandrich，withacharmingroundnessthatseemedtheveryhallmarkofgentility。But，now，itwassurchargedwithanindignantamazementovertheindignityputuponherbytherepresentativesofthelaw。Then，abruptly，theblueeyesweresoftenedintheirfires，asbythesuddennearnessoftears。

"Whatdoyoumean？"thegirlrepeated。Herslimformwastensewithwrath。"Idemandmyinstantrelease。"Therewasindescribablerebukeinherslowemphasisofthewords。

Burkewasimpressedinspiteofhimself，inspiteofhisaccustomedcoldindifferencetothefeelingsofothersasnecessitycompelledhimtomakeinvestigationofthem。Hisharsh，blusteringvoicesoftenedperceptibly，andhespokeinawheedlingtone，suchasonemightemployintheefforttotranquillizeaspoiledchildinafitoftemper。

"Waitaminute，"heremonstrated。"Waitaminute!"Hemadeapacificallycourteousgesturetowardoneofthechairs，whichstoodbyanendofthedesk。"Sitdown，"heinvited，withanefforttowardcajoling。

Thescornofthegirlwassuperb。Hervoicecameicily，assheanswered:

"Ishalldonothingofthesort。Sitdown，indeed!——here!Why，I

havebeenarrested——"Therecameabreakinthemusicofhertonesthrobbingresentment。Alittlesobcreptin，andbrokethesequenceofwords。Thedaintyfacewasvividwithshame。"I——"

shefaltered，"I\'vebeenarrested——byacommonpoliceman!"

TheInspectorseizedontheoneflawlefthimfordefenseagainstherindictment。

"No，no，miss，"heargued，earnestly。"Excuseme。Itwasn\'tanycommonpoliceman——itwasadetectivesergeant。"

Buthisefforttoplacatewasquiteinvain。Theingenuouslittlebeautywiththechild\'sfaceandtheblueeyessowidelyopenedfairlypantedinherrevoltagainsttheignominyofherposition，andwasnottobesoeasilyappeased。Hervoicecamevibrantwithdisdain。HerlevelgazeontheInspectorwasofasorttosuggesttohimanxietiesoverpossiblecomplicationshere。

"Youwait!"shecriedviolently。"Youjustwait，Itellyou，untilmypapahearsofthis!"

Burkeregardedthefuriousgirldoubtfully。

"Whoisyourpapa？"heasked，withabitofalarmstirringinhisbreast，forhehadnomindtooffendanyoneofimportancewheretherewasnoneed。

"Isha\'n\'ttellyou，"camethepetulantretortfromthegirl。

Herivoryforeheadwaswrinkledcharminglyinalittlefrownofobstinacy。"Why，"shewenton，displayingnewsymptomsofdistressoveranotherappallingideathatflashedonherinthismoment，"youwouldprobablygivemynametothereporters。"Onceagaintherosebudmouthdroopedintocurvesofsorrow，ofagreatself-pity。"Ifitevergotintothenewspapers，myfamilywoulddieofshame!"

Thepathosofherfearpiercedthroughthehardenedcrustofthepoliceofficial。Hespokeapologetically。

"Now，theeasiestwayoutforbothofus，"hesuggested，"isforyoutotellmejustwhoyouare。Yousee，younglady，youwerefoundinthehouseofanotoriouscrook。"

Thehaughtinessofthegirlwaxed。ItseemedasifshegrewaninchtallerinherscornoftheInspector\'ssaying。

"Howperfectlyabsurd!"sheexclaimed，scathingly。"IwascallingonMissMaryTurner!"

"Howdidyoucometomeether，anyhow？"Burkeinquired。Hestillheldhisbigvoicetoasoftermodulationthanthattowhichitwashabituated。

Yet，thedisdainofthegirlseemedonlytoincreasemomently。

Sheshowedplainlythatsheregardedthisbrass-buttonedofficialasoneunbearablyinsolentinhisdemeanortowardher。

Nevertheless，shecondescendedtoreply，withanexaggerationofthearistocraticdrawltoindicateherdispleasure。

"IwasintroducedtoMissTurner，"sheexplained，"byMr。RichardGilder。Perhapsyouhaveheardofhisfather，theowneroftheEmporium。"

"Oh，yes，I\'veheardofhisfather，andofhim，too，"Burkeadmitted，placatingly。

Butthegirlrelaxednotawhitinherattitudeofoffense。

"Then，"shewentonseverely，"youmustseeatoncethatyouareentirelymistakeninthismatter。"HerblueeyeswidenedfurtherasshestaredaccusinglyattheInspector，whobetrayedevidencesofperplexity，andhesitatedforananswer。Then，thedoll-like，charmingfacetookonasofterlook，whichhadinitasuggestionofappeal。

"Don\'tyouseeit？"shedemanded。

"Well，no，"Burkerejoineduneasily；"notexactly，Idon\'t!"Inthepresenceofthisdelicateandgracefulfemininity，heexperiencedasudden，noveldistasteforhisusualsledge-hammermethodsofattackininterrogation。Yet，hisdutyrequiredthatheshouldcontinuehisquestioning。Hefoundhimselfinfactbetweenthedevilandthedeepsea——thoughthisparticulardevilappearedratherasanangeloflight。

Now，athissomewhatfeebleremarkinreplytoherquery，thechildishfacegrewashardasitscurvingcontourswouldpermit。

"Sir!"shecriedindignantly。Herlittleheadwasthrownbackinscornfulreproof，andsheturnedashouldertowardtheofficialcontemptuously。

"Now，now!"Burkeexclaimedinremonstrance。Afterall，hecouldnotbebrutalwiththisguilelessmaiden。Hemust，however，makethesituationcleartoher，lestshethinkhimabeast——whichwouldneverdo!

"Yousee，younglady，"hewentonwithagentlenessofvoiceandmannerthatwouldhavebeeninconceivabletoDaceyandChicagoRed；"yousee，thefactisthat，evenifyouwereintroducedtothisMaryTurnerbyyoungMr。Gilder，thissameMaryTurnerherselfisanex-convict，andshe\'sjustbeenarrestedformurder。"

Atthedreadword，astartlingchangewaswroughtinthegirl。

ShewheeledtofacetheInspector，herslenderbodyswayingalittletowardhim。Theratherheavybrowswereliftedslightlyinadisbelievingstare。Theredlipswereparted，roundedtoatremuloushorror。

"Murder!"shegasped；andthenwassilent。

"Yes，"Burkewenton，whollyateasenow，sincehehadbrokentheicethuseffectually。"Yousee，ifthere\'samistakeaboutyou，youdon\'twantittogoanyfurther——notamitefurther，that\'ssure。So，yousee，now，that\'soneofthereasonswhyImustknowjustwhoyouare。"Then，inhisturn，Burkeputthequerythatthegirlhadputtohimalittlewhilebefore。"Youseethat，don\'tyou？"

"Oh，yes，yes!"wastheinstantagreement。"Youshouldhavetoldmeallaboutthishorridthinginthefirstplace。"Now，thegirl\'smannerwastransformed。ShesmiledwistfullyontheInspector，andtheglanceoftheblueeyeswasverykind，subtlyalluring。Yetinthisunbending，thereappearedevenmoredecisivelythanhithertothefinequalitiesinbearingofonedelicatelynurtured。Shesankdowninachairbythedesk，andforthwithspokewithasimplicitythatinitselfwassomehowpeculiarlypotentinitseffectontheofficialwhogaveattentiveear。

"MynameisHelenTraversWest，"sheannounced。

Burkestartedalittleinhisseat，andregardedthespeakerwithanewdeferenceasheheardthatnameuttered。

"Notthedaughteroftherailwaypresident？"heinquired。

"Yes，"thegirladmitted。Then，anew，shedisplayedaseriousagitationoverthethoughtofanypossiblepublicityinthisaffair。

"Oh，please，don\'ttellanyone，"shebeggedprettily。Theblueeyeswereveryimploring，beguiling，too。Thetimidsmilethatwreathedthetinymouthwasmarvelouslywinning。Theneatlyglovedlittlehandswereheldoutstretched，claspedinsupplication。"Surely，sir，youseenowquiteplainlywhyitmustneverbeknownbyanyoneinallthewide，wideworldthatI

haveeverbeenbroughttothisperfectlydreadfulplace——thoughyouhavebeenquitenice!"Hervoicedroppedtoanoteofmusicalprayerfulness。Thewordswerespokenverysoftlyandveryslowly，withintonationsdifficultforamantodeny。"Pleaseletmegohome。"Shepluckedaminutehandkerchieffromherhandbag，putittohereyes，andbegantosobquietly。

TheburlyInspectorofPolicewasmovedtoquicksympathy。

Really，whenallwassaidanddone，itwasashamethatonelikehershouldbysomefreakoffatehavebecomeinvolvedinthesordid，viciousthingsthathisprofessionmadeitobligatoryonhimtoinvestigate。Therewasaconsiderablehintofthepaternalinhisairashemadeanattempttoofferconsolationtotheafflicteddamsel。

"That\'sallright，littlelady，"heexclaimedcheerfully。"Now，don\'tyoubeworried——notalittlebit。Takeitfromme，MissWest……Justgoahead，andtellmeallyouknowaboutthisTurnerwoman。Didyouseeheryesterday？"

Thegirl\'ssobsceased。Afterafinaldabwiththeminutehandkerchief，sheleanedforwardalittletowardtheInspector，andproceededtoputaquestiontohimwithgreateagerness。

"WillyouletmegohomeassoonasI\'vetoldyoutheteensylittleIknow？"

"Yes，"Burkeagreedpromptly，withanencouragingsmile。Andforagoodmeasureofreassurance，headdedasonemighttoanalarmedchild:"Nooneisgoingtohurtyou，younglady。"

"Well，then，yousee，itwasthisway，"beganthebriskexplanation。"Mr。Gilderwascallingonmeoneafternoon，andhesaidtomethenthatheknewaverycharmingyoungwoman，who——"

Herethespeechendedabruptly，andonceagainthehandkerchiefwasbroughtintoplayasthesobbingbrokeforthwithincreasedviolence。Presently，thegirl\'svoiceroseinawail。

"Oh，thisisdreadful——dreadful!"Inthefinalword，thewailbroketoamoan。

Burkefelthimselfvaguelyguiltyasthecauseofsuchsufferingonthepartofonesoyoung，sofair，soinnocent。Asaculprit，hesoughthisbesttoaffordameasureofsoothingforthisgriefthathadhaditssourceinhisperformanceofduty。