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。