第4章

Thusfar，however，theforgerhadalwaysescapedthepenaltyforhiscrimes，thoughoftenclosetoconviction。ButMary\'sargumentswereofacompellingsortasshesetthemforthindetail，andtheymadetheirappealtoGarson，whowasbynomeanslackinginashrewdnativeintelligence。Heagreedthattheexperimentshouldbemade，notwithstandingthefactthathefeltnoparticularenthusiasmovertheproposedschemeofworking。Itislikelythathisownstrongfeelingofattractiontowardthegirlwhomhehadsavedfromdeath，whonowappearedbeforehimasaradiantlybeautifulyoungwoman，wasmorepersuasivethantheexcellentideaswhichshepresentedsoemphatically，andwithalogicsoimpressive。 AnagreementwasmadebywhichJoeGarsonandcertainofhismoretrustedintimatesintheunderworldweretoputthemselvesundertheordersofMaryconcerningthesphereoftheiractivities。 Furthermore，theyboundthemselvesnottoengageinanydeviousbusinesswithoutherconsent。Aggie，too，wasoneofthecompanythusconstituted，butshefiguredlittleinthepreliminarydiscussions，sinceneitherMarynortheforgerhadmuchrespectfortheintellectualcapabilitiesoftheadventuress，thoughtheyappreciatedtothefullherremarkablepowersofinfluencingmentoherwill。 Itwasnotdifficulttofindalawyersuitedtothenecessitiesoftheundertaking。Maryboreinmindconstantlythehighfinancier\'srelianceonthelegaladvisercompetenttoinventamethodwherebytobafflethelawatanydesiredpoint，andafterjudiciousinvestigationsheselectedanambitiousandexperiencedJewnamedSigismundHarris，justintheprimeofhismentalvigors，whopossessedaknowledgeofthelawonlytobeequalledbyhisdisrespectforit。Heseemed，indeed，preciselythemantofitthesituationforonedesirousofoutragingthelawremorselessly，whilestillretainingaplaceabsolutelywithinit。 Forthwith，theschemewassetinoperation。Asafirststep，MaryTurnerbecameayoungladyofindependentfortune，whohadlivingwithheracousin，MissAgnesLynch。Theflatwasabandoned。InitssteadwasanapartmentintheninetiesonRiversideDrive，inwhichtheladieslivedalonewithtwomaidstoservethem。Garsonhadroomsintheneighborhood，butJimLynch，whopersistentlyrefusedtheconditionsofsuchanalliance，betookhimselfafar，tocontinuehisrecklessgatheringofotherfolk\'smoneyinsuchwiseastomakehimamenabletothelawtheveryfirsttimeheshouldbecaughtatit。 Afewtentativeventuresresultedinprofitssolargethatthecompanygrewmightilyenthusiasticoverthenovelmannerofworking。Ineachinstance，Harriswasconsulted，andmadehisconfidentialstatementastothelegalityofthethingproposed。 Marygratifiedhereagermindbycarefulstudiesinthischosenlineofnefariousness。Afterafewperfectlylegalbreach-of-promisesuits，duetoAggie\'swinsomeinnocenceofdemeanor，hadbeensettledadvantageouslyoutofcourt，Marydevisedaschemeofgreaterelaborateness，withthelegalacumenofthelawyertoendorseitinthematterofsafety。 Thisnettedthirtythousanddollars。Itwasplannedastheswindlingofaswindler——which，infact，hadnowbecomethesecretprincipleinMary\'smorality。 Agentlemanpossessedofsomemeans，nonetooscrupuloushimself，butwithhighfinancialaspirations，advertisedforapartnertoinvestcapitalinabusinesssuretobringlargereturns。ThisadvertisementcaughttheeyeofMaryTurner，andsheansweredit。 Anintroductorycorrespondenceencouragedhertohopeforthevictoryinagameofcunningagainstcunning。SheconsultedwiththeperspicaciousMr。Harris，andespeciallysoughtfromhimdetailedinformationastopartnershiplaw。Hisstatementsgavehersuchconfidencethatpresentlysheenteredintoapartnershipwiththeadvertiser。Bythetermsoftheiragreement，eachdepositedthirtythousanddollarstothepartnershipaccount。 Thissumofsixtythousanddollarswasostensiblytobedevotedtothepurchaseofatractofland，whichshouldafterwardbedividedintolots，andresoldtothepublicatenormousprofit。 Asamatteroffact，theadvertiserplannedtomakeaspuriouspurchaseofthetractinquestion，bymeansofforgeddeedsgrantedbyanaccomplice，thusmakingthroughfraudaneatprofitofthirtythousanddollars。Theissuewas，however，disappointingtohimintheextreme。NosoonerwasthesixtythousanddollarsondepositinthebankthanMaryTurnerdrewoutthewholeamount，asshehadaperfectrighttodolegally。Whentheadvertiserlearnedofthis，hewas，naturallyenough，fulltooverflowingwithwrath。ButafteraninterviewwithHarrisheswallowedthiswrathasbesthemight。Hefoundthathisadversaryknewadangerousdealastohisvariousswindlingoperations。Inshort，hecouldnotgointocourtwithcleanhands，whichisaprimestipulationofthelaw——thoughoftenhonoredinthebreach。Buttheadvertiser\'shandsweretooperilouslyfilthy，sohelethimselfbemulctedinragingsilence。 TheeventestablishedMaryasthearbiterinherowncoterie。 Herewas，intruth，anewgame，agamemostentertaining，andmostprofitable，andnotintheleastrisky。Immediatelyaftertheadventurewiththeadvertiser，MarydecidedthatacertainGeneralHastingswouldmakeanexcellentsacrificeonthealtarofjustice——andtoherownfinancialprofit。Theoldmanwasanotoriousroue，ofmostunsavoryreputationasadestroyerofinnocence。ItwasprobablethathewouldeasilyfallavictimtotheingenuouscharmsofAggie。Asforthatprecociousdamsel，shewouldrunnoleastriskofdestructionbythesatyr。So，presently，therewereelaborateplottings。GeneralHastingsmetAggieinthemostcasualway。Hewascaptivatedbyherfreshnessandbeauty，herdemureness，herignoranceofallthingsvicious。 Straightway，hesethissnares，beinghimselfalreadylimed。Heshoweredeverygallantattentiononthenaivebread-and-buttermiss，andsucceededgratifyinglysooninwinningherheart——toallappearance。Buthegainednothingmore，forthecoycreatureabruptlydevelopedmosteffectivepowersofresistancetoeveryblandishmentthatwentbeyondstrictestpropriety。HisardorcooledsuddenlywhenHarrisfiledthepapersinasuitfortenthousanddollarsdamagesforbreachofpromise。 Evenwhilethisaffairwasstillinthecourseofexecution，Maryfoundherselfengagedinadirectionthatofferedatleastthehopeofattaininghergreatdesire，revengeagainstEdwardGilder。Thisopportunitycameinthepersonofhisson，Dick。 Aftermuchcontriving，shesecuredanintroductiontothatyoungman。Forthwith，sheshowedherselfsodeliciouslywomanly，sointelligent，sodaintilyfeminine，sosingularlybeautiful，thattheyoungmanwasenamoredalmostatonce。ThefactthrilledMarytothedepthsofherheart，forinthissonofthemanwhomshehatedshesawtheinstrumentofvengeanceforwhichshehadsolonged。Yet，thisonethingwassovitaltoherthatshesaidnothingofherpurposes，noteventoAggie，thoughthatobservantpersonmayhavepossessedsuspicionsmoreorlessnearthetruth。 Itwassomesuchsuspicionthatlaybehindherspeechas，innegligee，shesatcross-leggedonthebed，smokingacigaretteinaveryknowingway，whilewatchingMary，whowasadjustingherhatbeforethemirrorofherdressing-table，onepleasantspringmorning。 \"Dollin\'upawholelot，ain\'tyou？\"Aggieremarked，affably，withthatlaxityoflanguagewhichcharacterizedhernaturalmoods。 \"IhaveaveryimportantengagementwithDickGilder，\"Maryreplied，tranquilly。Shevouchsafednothingmoredefiniteastoherintentions。 \"Niceboy，ain\'the？\"Aggieventured，insinuatingly。 \"Oh，Isupposeso，\"cametheindifferentanswerfromMary，asshetiltedthepicturehattoanangleatriflemorejaunty。 Thepseudocousinsniffed。 \"Yous\'posethat，doyou？Well，anyhow，he\'sheresomuchweoughttobechargin\'himforhismeal-ticket。AndyetIain\'tsurethatyouevenknowwhetherhe\'stherealgoods，ornot。\" ThefairfaceofMaryTurnerhardenedtheleastbit。Thereshoneanexpressionofinscrutabledisdaininthevioleteyes，assheturnedtoregardAggiewithalevelglance。 \"Iknowthathe\'stheson——theonlyson!——ofEdwardGilder。Thefactisenoughforme。\" Theadventuressofthedemurefaceshookherheadintokenofcompletebafflement。Herrosylipspoutedinpetulantdissatisfaction。 \"Idon\'tgetyou，Mary，\"sheadmitted，querulously。\"Youneverusedtolookatthemen。Thewayyouactedwhenyoufirstrunroundwithme，Ithoughtyousurewasasuffragette。AndthenyoumetthisyoungGilder——and——good-night，nurse!\" ThehardnessremainedinMary\'sface，asshecontinuedtoregardherfriend。But，now，therewassomethingquizzicalintheglancewithwhichsheaccompaniedthemonosyllable: \"Well？\" Again，Aggieshookherheadinperplexity。 \"Hisoldmansendsyouupforastretchforsomethingyoudidn\'tdo——andyoutakeupwithhissonlike——\" \"Andyetyoudon\'tunderstand!\"Therewasscornforsuchgrossstupidityinthemusicalvoice。 Aggiechokedalittlefromthecigarettesmoke，asshegaveagaspwhensuspicionofthetruthsuddenlydawnedonherslowintelligence。 \"MyGawd!\"Hervoicecameinatrebleshriekofapprehension。 \"I\'mwise!\" \"Butyoumustunderstandthis，\"Marywenton，withanauthoritativenoteinhervoice。\"WhatevermaybebetweenyoungGilderandmeistobestrictlymyownaffair。Ithasabsolutelynothingtodowiththerestofyou，orwithourschemesformoney-making。And，whatismore，Agnes，Idon\'twanttotalkaboutit。But——\" \"Yes？\"queriedAggie，encouragingly，astheotherpaused。Shehopefullyawaitedfurtherconfidences。 \"ButIdowanttoknow，\"Marycontinuedwithsomeseverity，\"whatyoumeantbytalkinginthepublicstreetyesterdaywithacommonpickpocket。\" Aggie\'schildlikefacechangedswiftlyitsexpressionfromaslyeagernesstosullenness。 \"Youknowperfectlywell，MaryTurner，\"shecriedindignantly，\"thatIonlysaidafewwordsinpassin\'tomybrotherJim。Andheain\'tnocommonpickpocket。HullyGee!He\'sthebestdipinthebusiness。\" \"Butyoumustnotbeseenspeakingwithhim，\"Marydirected，withacertainairofcommandnowbecomehabitualtoheramongthemembersofherclique。\"Mycousin，MissAgnesLynch，mustbeverycarefulastoherassociates。\" ThevolatileAgneswasrestoredtogoodhumorbysomesubtlequalityintheutterance，andafamilyprideasserteditself。 \"Hejuststoppedmetosayit\'sbeenthebestyearheeverhad，\" sheexplained，withostentatiousvanity。 Maryappearedsceptical。 \"Howcanthatbe，\"shedemanded，\"whenthedeadlinenowisJohnStreet？\" \"Thedeadline!\"Aggiescoffed。Apealoflaughterrangmerrilyfromhercurvinglips。 \"Why，JimtakesluncheverydayintheWallStreetDelmonico\'s。 Yes，\"shewentonwithincreasinganimation，\"andonlyyesterdayhewentdowntoPoliceHeadquarters，justforalittleexcitement，\'causeJimdoessurehateadulllife。Say，hetoldmethey\'vegotamatatthedoorwith\'Welcome\'onit——inlettersthreefeethigh。Now，what——do——you——think——ofthat!\"Aggieteeteredjoyously，thewhilesheinhaledashockinglylargemouthfulofsmoke。\"And，oh，yes!\"shecontinuedhappily，\"Jim，heliftedaleatherfromabullwhowasstandinginthehallwaythereatHeadquarters!Jimsuredoesloveexcitement。\" Maryliftedherdarkeyebrowsinhalf-amusedinquiry。 \"It\'snouse，Agnes，\"shedeclared，thoughwithoutentiresincerity；\"Ican\'tquitekeepupwithyourthieves\'argot——yourslang，youknow。Justwhatdidthisbrotherofyoursdo？\" \"Why，hecoppedthecopper\'skale，\"Aggietranslated，glibly。 Marythrewoutherhandsinagestureofdismay。 Thereupon，theadventuressinstantlyassumedamostladylikeandmincingairwhichillassortedwiththecigarettethatsheheldbetweenherlips。 \"Hegentlyremovedaleathernwallet，\"shesaidsedately，\"containingalargesumofmoneyfromthecoatpocketofamemberofthedetectiveforce。\"Theeleganceofutterancewasinimitablydone。Butinthenextinstant，theordinaryvulgarityofenunciationwasinfullplayagain。\"Oh，Gee!\"shecriedgaily。\"HesaysInspectorBurke\'sgotagoldwatchthatweighsaton，an\'allsetwithdiamon\'s!——whichwasgiveto\'imby——admirin\'friends!……Wedidn\'tcontribute。\" \"Giventohim，\"Marycorrected，withatolerantsmile。 Aggiesniffedonceagain。 \"Whatdifferencedoesitmake？\"shedemanded，scornfully。\"He\'sgotit，ain\'the？\"Andthensheaddedwithavariciousintensity: \"JustassoonasIgettime，I\'mgoin\'afterthatwatch——believeme!\" Maryshookherheadindenial。 \"No，youarenot，\"shesaid，calmly。\"Youareundermyordersnow。Andaslongasyouareworkingwithus，youwillbreaknolaws。\" \"ButIcan\'tsee——\"Aggiebegantoarguewiththepetulanceofaspoiledchild。 Mary\'svoicecamewithacertaintyofconvictionbornoffact。 \"Whenyouwereworkingalone，\"shesaidgravely，didyouhaveahomelikethis？\" \"No，\"wastheanswer，spokenalittlerebelliously。 \"Orsuchclothes？Mostofall，didyouhavesafetyfromthepolice？\" \"No，\"Aggieadmitted，somewhatmoreresponsively。\"But，justthesame，Ican\'tsee——\" Marybeganputtingonhergloves，andatthesametimestrovetogivethisremarkableyoungwomansomeinsightintoherownpointofview，thoughsheknewthetasktobeonewell-nighimpossible。 \"Agnes，\"shesaid，didactically，\"therichestmeninthiscountryhavemadetheirfortunes，notbecauseofthelaw，butinspiteofthelaw。Theymadeuptheirmindswhattheywantedtodo，andthentheyengagedlawyerscleverenoughtoshowthemhowtheycoulddoit，andstillkeepwithinthelaw。Anyonewithbrainscangetrichinthiscountryifhewillengagetherightlawyer。 Well，Ihavethebrains——andHarrisisshowingmethelaw——thewonderfultwistedlawthatwasmadefortherich!Sincewekeepinsidethelaw，wearesafe。\" Aggie，withoutmuchapprehensionoftheexactsituation，wasmovedtoadimpledmirthovertheessentialhumorofthemethodindicated。 \"Gee，that\'sfunny，\"shecriedhappily。\"Youan\'mean\'JoeGarsonhandin\'itto\'em，an\'thebullscan\'ttouchus!Nextthingyouknow，Harriswillbehavin\'usincorporatedastheAmericanLegalCrimeSociety。\" \"Ishouldn\'tbeintheleastsurprised，\"Maryassented，asshefinishedbuttoninghergloves。Shesmiled，buttherewasahintofgrimnessinthebendingofherlips。Thatgrimnessremained，assheglancedattheclock，thenwenttowardthedooroftheroom，speakingoverhershoulder。 \"And，nowImustbeofftoamostimportantengagementwithMr。 DickGilder。\" CHAPTERVIII。ATIPFROMHEADQUARTERS。 Presently，whenshehadfinishedthecigarette，Aggieproceededtoherownchamberandtherespentaconsiderabletimeinmakingatoilettecalculatedtosetofftoitsfulladvantagetheslenderdaintinessofherform。Whenatlastshewasgownedtohersatisfaction，shewentintothedrawing-roomoftheapartmentandgaveherselfovertomorecigarettes，inaneasychair，sprawledoutinanattitudeofcomfortnevertaughtinanyfinishingschoolforyoungladies。Sheatthesametimeindulgedhertastesinartandliteraturebyreadingthejokesandstudyingthecomicpicturesinaneveningpaper，whichthemaidbroughtinatherrequest。ShehadaboutexhaustedthisformofamusementwhenthecomingofJoeGarson，whowasusuallyinandoutoftheapartmentanumberoftimesdaily，providedawelcomediversion。Afteracasualgreetingbetweenthetwo，Aggieexplained，inresponsetohisquestion，thatMaryhadgoneouttokeepanengagementwithDickGilder。 Therewasalittleperiodofsilencewhiletheman，withtheresolutefaceandthelightgrayeyesthatshonesoclearlyunderneaththethick，wavingsilverhair，heldhisheadbentdownwardasifinintentthought。When，finally，hespoke，therewasacertainqualityinhisvoicethatcausedAggietoregardhimcuriously。 \"Maryhasbeenwithhimagooddeallately，\"hesaid，halfquestioningly。 \"That\'swhat，\"wasthecurtagreement。 Garsonbroughtouthisnextquerywiththebrutalbluntnessofhiskind；andyettherewasavaguesuggestionoftendernessinhistonesunderthevulgarwords。 \"Thinkshe\'sstuckonhim？\"Hehadseatedhimselfonasetteeoppositethegirl，whodidnottroubleonhisaccounttoassumeaposturemoredecorous，andhesurveyedherkeenlyashewaitedforareply。 \"Whynot？\"Aggieretorted。\"BetyourlifeI\'dbe，ifIhadachance。He\'saswellboy。Andhisfather\'sgotthecoin，too。\" Atthisthemanmovedimpatiently，andhiseyeswanderedtothewindow。Again，Aggiestudiedhimwithaswiftglanceofinterrogation。Notbeingthepossessorofanover-nicesensibilityastothefeelingsofothers，shenowspokebriskly。 \"Joe，ifthere\'sanythingonyourmind，shootit。\" Garsonhesitatedforamoment，thendecidedtounburdenhimself，forhecravedpreciseknowledgeinthismatter。 \"It\'sMary，\"heexplained，withsomeembarrassment；\"herandyoungGilder。\" \"Well？\"camethecrispquestion。 \"Well，somehow，\"Garsonwenton，stillsomewhatconfusedly，\"I can\'tseeanygoodofit，forher。\" \"Why？\"Aggiedemanded，insurprise。 Garson\'smannergreweasier，nowthatthesubjectwaswellbroached。 \"OldmanGilder\'sgotabigpull，\"hevouchsafed，\"andifhecaughtontohisboy\'sgoingwithMary，he\'dbelikelytosendthepoliceafterus——strong!Believeme，Iain\'tlookingforanytripuptheriver。\" Aggieshookherhead，quiteunaffectedbytheman\'ssuggestionofpossibleperilinthesituation。 \"Weain\'tdonenothin\'theycantouchusfor，\"shedeclared，withassurance。\"Marysaysso。\" Garson，however，wasunconvinced，notwithstandinghisdeferencetothejudgmentofhisleader。 \"Whetherwe\'vedoneanything，orwhetherwehaven\'t，don\'tmatter，\"heobjected。\"Oncethepolicesetoutafteryou，they\'llgetyou。Russiaain\'tinitwithsomeofthethingsI haveseenpulledoffinthistown。\" \"Oh，canthat\'fraidtalk!\"Aggieexclaimed，roughly。\"Itellyoutheycan\'tgetus。We\'vegotourfingerscrossed。\" Shewouldhavesaidmore，butanoiseatthehalldoorinterruptedher，andshelookeduptoseeamanintheopening，whilebehindhimappearedthemaid，protestingangrily。 \"Nevermindthatannouncingthingwithme，\"thenewcomerraspedtotheexpostulatingservant，inavoicethatsuitedwellhisthick-setfigure，withthebullet-shapedheadandthebull-likeneck。Thenheturnedtothetwointhedrawing-room，bothofwhomhadnowrisentotheirfeet。 \"It\'sallright，Fannie，\"Aggiesaidhastilytotheflusteredmaid。\"Youcango。\" Astheservant，afteranindignanttossofthehead，departedalongthepassage，thevisitorclumpedheavilyforwardandstoppedinthecenteroftheroom，lookingfirstatoneandthentheotherofthetwowithasmilethatwasnotpleasant。Hewasnotatpainstoremovethederbyhatwhichheworeratherfarbackonhishead。Bythissinglesign，onemighthaverecognizedCassidy，whohadhadMaryTurnerinhischargeontheoccasionofherill-fatedvisittoEdwardGilder\'soffice，fouryearsbefore，thoughnowthemanhadthickenedsomewhat，andhisruddyfacewasgrownevencoarser。 \"Hello，Joe!\"hecried，familiarly。\"Hello，Aggie!\" Thelight-grayeyesoftheforgerhadnarrowedperceptiblyasherecognizedtheidentityoftheunceremoniouscaller，whilethelinesofhisfirmlysetmouthtookonanaddedfixity。 \"Well？\"hedemanded。Hisvoicewasemotionless。 \"Justalittlefriendlycall，\"Cassidyannounced，inhisstridentvoice。\"Where\'stheladyofthehouse？\" \"Out。\"ItwasAggiewhospoke，verysharply。 \"Well，Joe，\"Cassidywenton，withoutpayingfurtherheedtothegirlforamoment，\"whenshecomesback，justtellherit\'suptohertomakeaget-away，andtomakeitquick。\" ButAggiewasnotonetobeignoredunderanycircumstances。 Now，shespokewithsomeacerbityinhervoice，whichcouldatwillbewondroussoftandlow。 \"Say!\"sheretortedviciously，\"youcan\'tthrowanyscareintous。Youhadn\'tgotanythingonus。See？\" Cassidy，inresponsetothisoutburst，favoredthegirlwithalongstare，andtherewasheartyamusementinhistonesasheanswered。 \"Nothingonyou，eh？Well，well，let\'ssee。\"HeregardedGarsonwithagrin。\"YouareJoeGarson，forger。\"Ashespoke，thedetectivetookanote-bookfromapocket，foundapage，andthenread:\"Firstarrestedin1891，forforgingthenameofEdwinGoodselltoacheckfortenthousanddollars。AgainarrestedJune19，1893，forforgery。ArrestedinApril，1898，forforgingthesignatureofOscarHemmenwaytoaseriesofbondsthatwerecounterfeit。ArrestedasthemanbackoftheReillygang，in1903。Arrestedin1908forforgery。\" Therewasnochangeinthefaceorposeofthemanwholistenedtothereading。Whenitwasdone，andtheofficerlookedupwitharesumptionofhistriumphantgrin，Garsonspokequietly。 \"Haven\'tanyrecordsofconvictions，haveyou？\" Thegrindied，andasnarlspranginitsstead。 \"No，\"hesnapped，vindictively。\"Butwe\'vegottherightdopeonyou，allright，JoeGarson。\"Heturnedsavagelyonthegirl，whonowhadregainedherusualexpressionofdemureinnocence，butwithherrathertooheavybrowsdrawnalittlelowerthantheirwont，undertheinfluenceofanemotionotherwiseconcealed。 \"Andyou\'relittleAggieLynch，\"Cassidydeclared，ashethrustthenote-bookbackintohispocket。\"Justnow，you\'reposingasMaryTurner\'scousin。YouservedtwoyearsinBurnsingforblackmail。YouwerearrestedinBuffalo，convicted，andservedyourstretch。Nothingonyou？Well，well!\"Againtherewastriumphintheofficer\'schuckle。 Aggieshowednoleastsignofperturbationinthefaceofthisrevelationofherunsavoryrecord。Onlyanexpressionofhalf-incredulouswonderanddelightbeamedfromherwidelyopenedblueeyesandwasemphasizedintheroundingofthelittlemouth。 \"Why，\"shecried，andnowtherewassoftnessenoughinthecooingnotes，\"myGawd!Itlooksasthoughyouhadactuallybeenworkin\'!\" Thesarcasmwaswithouteffectonthedullsensibilitiesoftheofficer。Hewentonspeakingwithobviousenjoymentoftheextenttowhichhisknowledgereached。 \"AndtheheadofthegangisMaryTurner。ArrestedfouryearsagoforrobbingtheEmporium。Didherstretchofthreeyears。\" \"Isthatallyou\'vegotabouther？\"Garsondemanded，withsuchabruptnessthatCassidyforgothisdignitysufficientlytoanswerwithanunqualifiedyes。 Theforgercontinuedspeakingrapidly，andnowtherewasanundercurrentoffeelinginhisvoice。 \"Nothinginyourrecordofherabouthercomingoutwithoutafriendintheworld，andtryingtogostraight？Youain\'tgotnothinginthatprettylittlebookofyour\'naboutyourgoingtothemillinerystorewhereshefinallygotajob，andtippingthemofftowhereshecomefrom？\" \"Sure，theywastippedoff，\"Cassidyanswered，quiteunmoved。 Andheadded，swellingvisiblywithimportance:\"Wegottoprotectthecity。\" \"Gotanythinginthatrecordofyour\'n，\"Garsonwentonvenomously，\"abouthergettinganotherjob，andyourfollowingherupagain，andhavingherthrownout？GotitthereabouttheletteryouhadoldGilderwrite，sothathisinfluencewouldgethercanned？\" \"Oh，wehadherrightthefirsttime，\"Cassidyadmitted，complacently。 Then，thebitternessofGarson\'ssoulwasrevealedbythefiercenessinhisvoiceashereplied。 \"Youdidnot!Shewasrailroadedforajobsheneverdone。Shewentinhonest，andshecameouthonest。\" Thedetectiveindulgedhimselfinacackleofsneeringmerriment。 \"Andthat\'swhyshe\'sherenowwithagangofcrooks，\"heretorted。 Garsonmettheimplicationfairly。 \"Whereelseshouldshebe？\"hedemanded，violently。\"Youain\'tgotnothinginthatrecordaboutmyjumpingintotheriverafterher？\"Theforger\'svoicedeepenedandtrembledwiththeintensityofhisemotion，whichwasnowgrownsostrongthatanywholistenedandlookedmightguesssomethingofthetruthastohisfeelingtowardthiswomanofwhomhespoke。\"That\'swhereI foundher——agirlthatneverdonenobodyanyharm，starvingbecauseyoupolicewouldn\'tgiveherachancetowork。Intheriverbecauseshewouldn\'ttaketheonlyotherwaythatwaslefthertomakealiving，becauseshewaskeepingstraight!……Haveyougotanyofthatinyourbook？\" Cassidy，whohadbeenscowlinginthefaceofthisarraignment，suddenlygaveventtoacroakinglaughofderision。 \"Huh!\"hesaid，contemptuously。\"Iguessyou\'restuckonher，eh？\" Atthewords，aninstantaneouschangesweptoverGarson。 Hitherto，hehadbeentense，hisfacesetwithemotion，amanstrongandsullen，witheyesasclearandheartlessasthoseofabeastinthewild。Now，withoutwarning，astartlingtransformationwaswrought。Hisformstiffenedtorigidityafteronelightning-swiftstepforward，andhisfacegrayed。Theeyesglowedwiththefiresofaman\'sheartinaspasmofhate。Hewastheembodimentofrage，ashespokehuskily，hisvoiceawhisperthatwasyetlouderthananyshout。 \"Cutthat!\" Theeyesofthetwomenlocked。Cassidystruggledwithallhisprideagainstthedominantfurythismanhurledonhim。 \"What？\"hedemanded，blusteringly。Buthistonewasweakerthanitswont。 \"Imean，\"Garsonrepeated，andtherewasfinalityinhisaccents，adeadlyqualitythatwasappalling，\"Imean，cutitout——now，here，andallthetime!Itdon\'tgo!\"Thevoiceroseslightly。 Theeffectofitwasmorepenetrantthanascream。\"Itdon\'tgo!……Doyougetme？\" Therewasashortintervalofsilence，thentheofficer\'seyesatlastfell。ItwasAggiewhorelievedthetensionofthescene。 \"He\'sgotyou，\"sheremarked，airily。\"Oi，oi!He\'sgotyou!\" Therewereagainafewsecondsofpause，andthenCassidymadeanobservationthatrevealedinsomemeasuretheshockoftheexperiencehehadjustundergone。 \"Youwouldhavebeenabigman，Joe，ifithadn\'tbeenforthattemperofyours。It\'sgotyouintotroubleonceortwicealready。Sometimeit\'slikelytoproveyourfinish。\" Garsonrelaxedhisimmobility，andalittlecolorcreptintohischeeks。 \"That\'smybusiness，\"heresponded，dully。 \"Anyway，\"theofficerwenton，withanewconfidence，nowthathiseyeswerefreefromthegazethathadburnedintohissoul，\"you\'vegottoclearout，thewholegangofyou——anddoitquick。\" Aggie，whoasamatteroffactbegantofeelthatshewasnotreceivingherdueshareofattention，nowinterposed，movingforwardtillherfacewasclosetothedetective\'s。 \"Wedon\'tscareworthacent，\"shesnapped，withthevirulenceofavixen。\"Youcan\'tdoanythingtous。Weain\'tbrokethelaw。\" Therecameasuddenrippleoflaughter，andthecharminglipscurvedjoyously，assheadded:\"Thoughperhapswehavebentitabit。\" Cassidysneered，outragedbysuchimpudenceonthepartofanex-convict。 \"Don\'tmakenodifferencewhatyou\'vedone，\"hegrowled。\"Gee!\" hewenton，withaheavysneer。\"Butthingsarecomingtoaprettypasswhenagangofcrooksgetstoarguingabouttheirrights。That\'sfunny，thatis!\" \"Thenlaugh!\"Aggieexclaimed，insolently，andmadeafaceattheofficer。\"Ha，ha，ha!\" \"Well，you\'vegotthetip，\"Cassidyreturned，somewhatdisconcerted，afterastolidfashionofhisown。\"It\'suptoyoutotakeit，that\'sall。Ifyoudon\'t，oneofyouwillmakealongvisitwithsomepeopleoutoftown，andit\'llprobablybeMary。Remember，I\'mgivingittoyoustraight。\" Aggieassumedherformalsocietymanner，exaggeratedtothepointofextravagance。 \"Docomeagain，littleone，\"shechirruped，caressingly。\"I\'veenjoyedyourvisitsomuch!\" ButCassidypaidnoapparentattentiontoherfrivolousness；onlyturnedandwentnoisilyoutofthedrawing-room，offeringnoreturntoherdaintilyinflectedgood-afternoon。 Forherownpart，assheheardtheouterdoorclosebehindthedetective，Aggie\'sexpressiongrewvicious，andtheheavybrowsdrewverylow，untilthelevellinealmostmadeherprettinessvanish。 \"Thetruck-horsedetective!\"shesneered。\"Aneighteencollar，andasix-and-a-halfhat!Hesurehadhisnerve，tryingtobluffus!\" ButitwasplainthatGarsonwasofanothermood。Therewasanxietyinhisface，ashestoodstaringvaguelyoutofthewindow。 \"Perhapsitwasn\'tabluff，Aggie，\"hesuggested。 \"Well，whathavewedone，I\'dliketoknow？\"thegirldemanded，confidently。Shetookacigaretteandamatchfromthetabouretbesideher，andstretchedherfeetcomfortably，ifveryinelegantly，onachairopposite。 Garsonansweredwithanoteofwearinessthatwasunlikehim。 \"Itain\'twhatyouhavedone，\"hesaid，quietly。\"It\'swhattheycanmakeajurythinkyou\'vedone。And，oncetheysetouttogetyou——God，howtheycanframethings!IftheyeverstartoutafterMary——\"Hedidnotfinishthesentence，butsankdownintohischairwithagroanthatwasalmostofdespair。 Thegirlrepliedwithaburstofcarelesslaughter。 \"Joe，\"shesaidgaily，\"you\'reonegrandlittleforger，allright，allright。ButMary\'sgotthebrains。Pooh，I\'llstringalongwithherasfarasshewantstogo。She\'seducated，sheis。 Sheain\'tlikeyouandme，Joe。Shetalkslikealady，and，what\'sadamnedsightharder，sheactslikealady。IguessI know。Wakemeupanyoldnightandaskme——justaskme，that\'sall。She\'sbeentryin\'tomakealadyoutofme!\" Thevivaciousnessofthegirldistractedthemanforthemomentfromthegloomofhisthoughts，andheturnedtosurveythespeakerwithacynicalamusement。 \"Swellchance!\"hecommented，drily。 \"Oh，I\'mnotsoworse!Justyouwatchout。\"Thelivelygirlsprangup，discardedthecigarette，adjustedanimaginarytrain，andspokelispinglyinasocietymannermuchmoremoderateandconvincingthanthatwithwhichshehadfavoredtheretiringCassidy。Voice，poseandgestureproclaimedatleasttheexcellentmimic。 \"Howdoyoudo，Mrs。Jones!Sogoodofyoutocall!……MydearMissSmith，thisisindeedapleasure。\"Sheseatedherselfagain，quiteprimlynow，andmovedherhandsoverthetabouretappropriatelytoherwords。\"Onelump，ortwo？……Yes，Ijustlovebridge。No，Idon\'tplay，\"shecontinued，simpering；\"but，justthesame，Iloveit。\"Withthisabsurdending，Aggieagainarrangedherfeetaccordingtoherlikingontheoppositechair。 \"That\'sthekindofstuffshe\'shadmedoing，\"sherattledoninhercoarservoice，\"andbelieveme，Joe，it\'sdamnednearkillingme。Butallthesame，\"shehurriedon，withaswiftrevulsionofmoodtotheformerserioustopic，\"I\'mforMarystrong!Yousticktoher，Joe，andyou\'llweardiamon\'s……Andthatremindsme!I wishshe\'dletmewearmine，butshewon\'t。Shesaysthey\'revulgarforaninnocentcountrygirllikehercousin，AgnesLynch。 Ain\'tthatfierce？……Howcananythingbevulgarthat\'sworthahundredandfiftyacarat？\" CHAPTERIX。ALEGALDOCUMENT。 MaryTurnerspentlessthananhourinthatmysteriouslyimportantengagementwithDickGilder，ofwhichshehadspokentoAggie。Afterseparatingfromtheyoungman，shewentalonedownBroadway，walkingthefewblocksofdistancetoSigismundHarris\'soffice。Onacorner，herattentionwascaughtbytheforlornfaceofagirlcrossingintothesidestreet。Acloserglanceshowedthattheprivationofthegauntfeatureswasemphasizedbythescantgarments，almostintatters。Instantly，Mary\'squicksympathieswerearoused，themoreparticularlysincethewretchedchildseemedofabouttheagesheherselfhadbeenwhenhergreatsufferinghadbefallen。So，turningaside，shesooncaughtupwiththegirlandspokeaninquiry。 Itwasthefamiliarstory，afatheroutofwork，asickmother，abroodofhungrychildren。 Someconfusedwordsofdistressrevealedthefactthatthewobegonegirlwaseventhenfightingthefinalbattleofpurityagainststarvation。Thatshestillfoughtoninsuchcaseprovedenoughastoherdecencyofnature，wholesomedespitesqualidsurroundings。Mary\'sheartwasdeeplymoved，andherwordsofcomfortcamewithasimplesinceritythatwaslikenewlifetothesorelybesetwaif。Shepromisedtointerestherselfinsecuringemploymentforthefather，suchcareasthemotherandchildrenmightneed，alongwithapropersituationforthegirlherself。Inevidenceofherpurpose，shetookherengagement-bookfromherbag，andsetdownthestreetandnumberoftheEastSidetenementwherethefamilypossessedtheoneroomthatmockedthewordhome，andshegaveabanknotetothegirltoservetheimmediateneeds。 WhenshewentbacktoresumeherprogressdownBroadway，Maryfeltherselfvastlycheeredbythewarmglowwithin，whichistherewardofakindlyact，gratefullyreceived。And，onthisparticularmorning，shecravedsuchassuagementofherspirit，fortheconsciencethat，inspiteofallhermisdeeds，stilllivedwasstrugglingwithinher。Inherrevoltagainstaworldthathadwantonlyinflictedonhertheworsttorments，MaryTurnerhadthoughtthatshemightsafelydisregardthoseprinciplesinwhichshehadbeensocarefullyreared。Shehadbelievedthatbythedeliberateadoptionofalifeofguilewithinlimitsallowedbythelaw，shewouldfindsolaceforherwants，whilefeelingthatthussheavengedherselfinsomeslightmeasurefortheindignitiesshehadundergoneunjustly。Yet，asthedayspassed，daysofsuccessasfarasherschemingwasconcerned，thisbrilliantwoman，whohadtriedtodeemherselfunscrupulous，foundthatlawlessnesswithinthelawfailedtosatisfysomethingdeepwithinhersoul。Therighteousnessthatwasherinstinctwasoffendedbythetriumphsachievedthroughsodeviousdevices，thoughsheresolutelysetherwilltosuppressanyspiritualrebellion。 Therewas，aswell，anothergrievanceofhernature，yetmoresubtle，infinitelymorepainful。Thislayinhercravingfortenderness。Shewaswhollywoman，notwithstandingthevirilityofherintelligence，itsaudacity，itsaggressiveness。Shehadaheartyearningforthemultitudinousaffectionsthataretheprerogativeofthefeminine；shehadaheartlongingforlove，toreceiveandtogiveinfullmeasure……Andherlifewasbarren。 Sincethedeathofherfather，therehadbeennoneonwhomshecouldlavishthegreatgiftsofhertenderness。Throughthedaysofherworkinginthestore，circumstanceshadshutheroutfromallassociationwithotherscongenial。Noneedtorehearsetheimpossibilitiesofcompanionshipintheprisonlife。Sincethen，thesituationhadnotvitallyimproved，inspiteofherbetterworldlycondition。ForGarson，whohadsavedherfromdeath，shefeltastrongandlastinggratitude——nothingthatrelievedthelongingfornobleraffections。Therewasnoneotherwithwhomshehadanyintimacyexceptthat，ofasort，withAggieLynch，andbynopossibilitycouldtheadventuressserveasanobjectofdeepregard。Thegirlwasamusingenough，and，indeed，amostlikablepersonatherbest。Butshewas，afterall，ashallow-patedindividual，withoutashredofprincipleofanysortwhatsoever，savethesinglemeritofunswervingloyaltytoher\"pals。\"Marycherishedacertainwarmkindlinessforthefirstwomanwhohadbefriendedherinanyway，butbeyondthistherewasnofinerfeeling。 Nevertheless，itisnotquiteaccuratetosaythatMaryTurnerhadhadnointimacyinwhichherheartmighthavebeenseriouslyengaged。Inoneinstance，ofrecenthappening，shehadbeenmuchinassociationwithayoungmanwhowasofexcellentstandingintheworld，whowasofgoodbirth，goodeducation，ofdelightfulmanners，and，too，wholesomeandagreeablebeyondthemostofhisclass。ThiswasDickGilder，and，sincehercompanionshipwithhim，Maryhadundergonearevulsiongreaterthaneverbeforeagainstthefatethrustonher，whichnowatlastshehadchosentowelcomeandnourishbyacquiescenceasbestshemight。