第13章

\"He\'llbemoreworriedbeforeIgetthroughwithhim!\"hegrowled。HeregardedCassidyspeculatively。\"DoyouremembertheThirdDegreeInspectorBurnsworkedonMcGloin？Well，\"hewenton，asthedetectivenoddedassent，\"that\'swhatI\'mgoingtodotoGarson。He\'sgotimagination，thatcrook!Thethingshedon\'tknowaboutarethethingshe\'safraidof。Afterhegetsinhere，Iwantyoutotakehispalsoneaftertheother，andlockthemupinthecellsthereinthecorridor。Theshadesonthecorridorwindowsherewillbeup，andGarsonwillseethemtakenin。Thefactoftheirbeingtherewillsethisimaginationtoworkingovertime，allright。\" Burkereflectedforamoment，andthenissuedthefinaldirectionsfortheexecutionofhislatestplot。 \"Whenyougetthebuzzerfromme，youhaveyoungGilderandtheTurnerwomansentin。Then，afterawhile，you\'llgetanotherbuzzer。Whenyouhearthat，comerightinhere，andtellmethattheganghassquealed。I\'lldotherest。BringGarsonhereinjustfiveminutes……TellDantocomein。\" Asthedetectivewentout，thedoormanpromptlyentered，andthereatBurkeproceededwiththefurtherinstructionsnecessarytothecarryingoutofhisscheme。 \"Takethechairsoutoftheoffice，Dan，\"hedirected，\"exceptmineandoneother——thatone!\"Heindicatedachairstandingalittlewayfromoneendofhisdesk。\"Now，havealltheshadesup。\"Hechuckledasheadded:\"ThatTurnerwomansavedyouthetroublewithone。\" Asthedoormanwentoutafterhavingfulfilledthesecommands，theInspectorlightedthecigarwhichhehadretainedstillinhismouth，andthenseatedhimselfinthechairthatwassetpartlyfacingthewindowsopeningonthecorridor。Hesmiledwithanticipatorytriumphashemadesurethatthewholelengthofthecorridorwiththebarreddoorsofthecellswasplainlyvisibletoonesittingthus。Withafinalglanceabouttomakecertainthatallwasinreadiness，hereturnedtohischair，and，whenthedooropened，hewas，toallappearances，busilyengagedinwriting。 \"Here\'sGarson，Chief，\"Cassidyannounced。 \"Hello，Joe!\"Burkeexclaimed，withaseemingofcarelessfriendliness，asthedetectivewentout，andGarsonstoodmotionlessjustwithinthedoor。 \"Sitdown，aminute，won\'tyou？\"theInspectorcontinued，affably。Hedidnotlookupfromhiswritingashespoke。 Garson\'susuallystrongfacewasshowingweakwithfear。Hischin，whichwascommonlyveryfirm，movedalittlefromuneasytwitchingsofhislips。Hiscleareyeswereslightlycloudedtoalookofapprehension，astheyrovedtheroomfurtively。HemadenoanswertotheInspector\'sgreetingforafewmoments，butremainedstandingwithoutmovement，poisedalertlyasifsensingsomeconcealedperil。Finally，however，hisanxietyfoundexpressioninwords。Histonewaspregnantwithalarm，thoughhestrovetomakeitmerelycomplaining。 \"Say，whatamIarrestedfor？\"heprotested。\"Iain\'tdoneanything。\" Evennow，Burkedidnotlookup，andhispencontinuedtohurryoverthepaper。 \"Whotoldyouyouwerearrested？\"heremarked，cheerfully，inhisblandestvoice。 Garsonutteredanejaculationofdisgust。 \"Idon\'thavetobetold，\"heretorted，huffily。\"I\'mnocollegepresident，but，whenacopgrabsmeandbringsmedownhere，I\'vegotsenseenoughtoknowI\'mpinched。\" TheInspectordidnotinterrupthiswork，butansweredwiththeutmostgoodnature。 \"Isthatwhattheydidtoyou，Joe？I\'llhavetospeaktoCassidyaboutthat。Now，justyousitdown，Joe，won\'tyou？I wanttohavealittletalkwithyou。I\'llbethroughhereinasecond。\"Hewentonwiththewriting。 Garsonmovedforwardslightly，tothesinglechairneartheendofthedesk，andthereseatedhimselfmechanically。Hisfacethuswasturnedtowardthewindowsthatgaveonthecorridor，andhiseyesgrewyetmorecloudedastheyrestedonthegrimdoorsofthecells。Hewrithedinhischair，andhisgazejumpedfromthecellstotheimpassivefigureofthemanatthedesk。Now，theforger\'snervousnessincreasedmomentlyitsweptbeyondhiscontrol。Ofasudden，hesprangup，andsteppedclosetotheInspector。 \"Say，\"hesaid，inahuskyvoice，\"I\'dlike——I\'dliketohavealawyer。\" \"What\'sthematterwithyou，Joe？\"theInspectorreturned，alwayswiththatimperturbableair，andwithoutraisinghisheadfromtheworkthatsoengrossedhisattention。\"Youknow，you\'renotarrested，Joe。Maybe，youneverwillbe。Now，fortheloveofMike，keepstill，andletmefinishthisletter。\" Slowly，veryhesitatingly，Garsonwentbacktothechair，andsankdownonitinalimpattitudeofdejectionwhollyunlikehiscustomaryposturesofstrength。Again，hisfear-fascinatedeyeswenttotherowofcellsthatstoodsilentlymenacingontheothersideofthecorridorbeyondthewindows。Hisfacewastingedwithgray。Aphysicalsicknesswascreepingstealthilyonhim，ashisthoughtsheldinsistentlytothecatastrophethatthreatened。HisintelligencewastookeentopermitabeliefthatBurke\'smannerofalmostfulsomekindlinesshidnothingominous——ominouswithahintofdeathforhiminreturnforthedeathhehadwrought。 Then，terrorcrystallized。Hiseyeswerecaughtbyafigure，thefigureofCassidy，advancingthereinthecorridor。Andwiththedetectivewentamanwhosegaitwasslinking，craven。A cell-doorswungopen，theprisonersteppedwithin，thedoorclangedto，theboltsshotintotheirsocketsnoisily。 Garsonsathuddled，stricken——forhehadrecognizedthevictimthrustintothecellbeforehiseyes……ItwasDacey，oneofhisowncroniesincrime——Dacey，who，thenightbefore，hadseenhimkillEddieGriggs。TherewassomethingconcretelysinistertoGarsoninthisfactofDacey\'spresencethereinthecell。 Ofasudden，theforgercriedoutraucously: \"Say，Inspector，ifyou\'vegotanythingonme，I——Iwould——\" Thecrydroppedintounintelligiblemumblings。 Burkeretainedhismannerofsereneindifferencetotheother\'sagitation。Still，hispenhurriedoverthepaper；andhedidnottroubletolookupasheexpostulated，half-banteringly。 \"Now，now!What\'sthematterwithyou，Joe？ItoldyouthatI wantedtoaskyouafewquestions。That\'sall。\" Garsonleapedtohisfeetagainresolutely，thenfaltered，andultimatelyfellbackintothechairwithagroan，astheInspectorwentonspeaking。 \"Now，Joe，sitdown，andkeepstill，Itellyou，andletmegetthroughwiththisjob。Itwon\'ttakememorethanaminutemore。\" But，afteramoment，Garson\'semotionforcedhinttoanotherappeal。 \"Say，Inspector——\"hebegan。 Then，abruptly，hewassilent，hismouthstillopentoutterthewordsthatwerenowheldbackbyhorror。Again，hesawthedetectivewalkingforward，outthereinthecorridor。Andwithhim，asbefore，wasasecondfigure，whichadvancedslinkingly。 Garsonleanedforwardinhischair，hisheadthrustout，watchinginrigidsuspense。Again，evenasbefore，thedoorswungwide，theprisonerslippedwithin，thedoorclangedshut，theboltsclatterednoisilyintotheirsockets。 And，inthewatcher，terrorgrew——forhehadseenthefaceofChicagoRed，anotherofhispals，anotherwhohadseenhimkillGriggs。Foratimethatseemedtohimlongagesofmisery，Garsonsatstaringdazedlyatthecloseddoorsofthetierofcells。Theperilabouthimwasgrowing——growing，anditwasadeadlyperil!Atlast，helickedhisdrylips，andhisvoicebrokeinathroatywhisper。 \"Say，Inspector，ifyou\'vegotanythingagainstme，why——\" \"Whosaidtherewasanythingagainstyou，Joe？\"Burkerejoined，inavoicethatwasgeniallychiding。\"What\'sthematterwithyouto-day，Joe？Youseemnervous。\"Still，theofficialkeptonwithhiswriting。 \"No，Iain\'tnervous，\"Garsoncried，withafeverishefforttoappearcalm。\"Why，whatmakesyouthinkthat？Butthisain\'texactlytheplaceyou\'dpickoutasapleasantonetospendthemorning。\"Hewassilentforalittle，tryingwithallhisstrengthtoregainhisself-control，butwithsmallsuccess。 \"CouldIaskyouaquestion？\"hedemandedfinally，withmorefirmnessinhisvoice。 \"Whatisit？\"Burkesaid。 Garsonclearedhisthroatwithdifficulty，andhisvoicewasthick。 \"Iwasjustgoingtosay——\"hebegan。Then，hehesitated，andwassilent，ataloss。 \"Well，whatisit，Joe？\"theInspectorprompted。 \"Iwasgoingtosay——thatis——well，ifit\'sanythingaboutMaryTurner，Idon\'tknowathing——notathing!\" Itwasthethoughtofpossibleperiltoherthatnow，inaninstant，hadcausedhimtoforgethisownmortaldanger。Where，before，hehadbeenshudderingoverthoughtsofthedeath-housecellthatmightbeawaitinghim，henowhadconcernonlyforthesafetyofthewomanhecherished。Andtherewasagreatgriefinhissoul；foritwasborneinonhimthathisownfolly，indisobediencetohercommand，hadleduptothemurderofGriggs——andtoallthatmightcomeofthecrime。Howcouldheevermakeamendstoher？Atleast，hecouldbebravehere，forhersake，ifnotforhisown。 Burkebelievedthathisopportunitywascome。 \"WhatmadeyouthinkIwantedtoknowanythingabouther？\"hequestioned。 \"Oh，Ican\'texactlysay，\"Garsonrepliedcarelessly，inanattempttodissimulatehisagitation。\"Youwereuptothehouse，youknow。Don\'tyousee？\" \"Ididwanttoseeher，that\'safact，\"Burkeadmitted。Hekeptonwithhiswriting，hisheadbentlow。\"Butshewasn\'tatherflat。Iguessshemusthavetakenmyadvice，andskippedout。 Clevergirl，that!\" Garsoncontrivedtopresentanaspectofcomparativeindifference。 \"Yes，\"heagreed。\"IwasthinkingofgoingWest，myself，\"heventured。 \"Oh，wereyou？\"Burkeexclaimed；and，now，therewasanewnoteinhisvoice。Hishandslippedintothepocketwherewasthepistol，andclutchedit。HestaredatGarsonfiercely，andspokewitharushofthewords: \"WhydidyoukillEddieGriggs？\" \"Ididn\'tkillhim!\"Thereplywasquickenough，butitcameweakly。Again，Garsonwasforcedtowethislipswithadrytongue，andtoswallowpainfully。\"Itellyou，Ididn\'tkillhim!\"herepeatedatlast，withmoreforce。 Burkesneeredhisdisbelief。 \"Youkilledhimlastnight——withthis!\"hecried，viciously。Ontheinstant，thepistolleapedintoview，pointedstraightatGarson。\"Why？\"theInspectorshouted。\"Comeon，now!Why？\" \"Ididn\'t，Itellyou!\"Garsonwasgrowingstronger，sinceatlastthecrisiswasuponhim。Hegottohisfeetwithlitheswiftnessofmovement，andsprangclosetothedesk。Hebenthisheadforwardchallengingly，tomeettheglareofhisaccuser\'seyes。Therewasnoflinchinginhisownsteelystare。Hisnerveshadceasedtheirjanglingunderthetauteningofnecessity。 \"Youdid!\"Burkevociferated。Heputhiswholewillintotheassertionofguilt，tobatterdowntheman\'sresistance。\"Youdid，Itellyou!Youdid!\" Garsonleanedstillfurtherforward，untilhisfacewasalmostlevelwiththeInspector\'s。Hiseyeswereuncloudednow，wereblazing。Hisvoicecameresonantinitsdenial。Theentireposeofhimwasintrepid，dauntless。 \"AndItellyou，Ididn\'t!\" Therepassedmanyseconds，whilethetwomenbattledinsilence，willwarringagainstwill……Intheend，itwasthemurdererwhotriumphed。 Suddenly，Burkedroppedthepistolintohispocket，andlolledbackinhischair。Hisgazefellawayfromthemanconfrontinghim。Inthesameinstant，therigidityofGarson\'sformrelaxed，andhestraightenedslowly。Atideofsecretjoysweptthroughhim，asherealizedhisvictory。Buthisoutwardexpressionremainedunchanged。 \"Oh，well，\"Burkeexclaimedamiably，\"Ididn\'treallythinkyoudid，butIwasn\'tsure，soIhadtotakeachance。Youunderstand，don\'tyou，Joe？\" \"Sure，Iunderstand，\"Garsonreplied，withanamiabilityequaltotheInspector\'sown。 Burke\'smannercontinuedveryamicableashewentonspeaking。 \"Yousee，Joe，anyhow，we\'vegottherightpartysafeenough。 Youcanbetonthat!\" Garsonresistedthelure。 \"Ifyoudon\'twantme——\"hebegansuggestively；andheturnedtowardthedoortotheouterhall。\"Why，ifyoudon\'twantme，I\'ll——getalong。\" \"Oh，what\'sthehurry，Joe？\"Burkeretorted，withtheeffectofstoppingtheothershort。HepressedthebuzzerastheagreedsignaltoCassidy。\"WheredidyousayMaryTurnerwaslastnight？\" Atthequestion，allGarson\'sfearsforthewomanrushedbackonhimwithappallingforce。Ofwhatavailhissafety，ifshewerestillinperil？ \"Idon\'tknowwhereshewas，\"heexclaimed，doubtfully。Herealizedhisblunderevenasthewordslefthislips，andsoughttocorrectitasbesthemight。\"Why，yes，Ido，too，\"hewenton，asifassailedbysuddenmemory。\"Idroppedintoherplacekindoflate，andtheysaidshe\'dgonetobed——headache，I guess……Yes，shewashome，ofcourse。Shedidn\'tgooutofthehouse，allnight。\"Hisinsistenceonthepointwasofitselfsuspicious，buteagernesstoprotectherstultifiedhiswits。 Burkesatgrimandsilent，offeringnocommentonthelie。 \"KnowanythingaboutyoungGilder？\"hedemanded。\"Happentoknowwhereheisnow？\"Hearoseandcamearoundthedesk，sothathestoodclosetoGarson，atwhomheglowered。 \"Notathing!\"wastheearnestanswer。Butthespeaker\'sfearroseswiftly，forthelinkingofthesenameswassignificant——frightfullysignificant! Theinnerdooropened，andMaryTurnerenteredtheoffice。 Garsonwithdifficultysuppressedthecryofdistressthatrosetohislips。Forafewmoments，thesilencewasunbroken。Then，presently，Burke，byagesture，directedthegirltoadvancetowardthecenteroftheroom。Assheobeyed，hehimselfwentalittletowardthedoor，and，whenitopenedagain，andDickGilderappeared，heinterposedtochecktheyoungman\'srushforwardashisgazefellonhisbride，whostoodregardinghimwithsadeyes。 Garsonstaredmutelyattheburlymaninuniformwhoheldtheirdestiniesinthehollowofahand。Hislipspartedasifhewereabouttospeak。Then，hebadedefiancetotheimpulse。Hedeemeditsaferforallthatheshouldsaynothing——now!……Anditisveryeasytosayawordtoomany。Andthatonemaybeawordnevertobeunsaid——orgainsaid。 Then，whilestillthatcurious，dynamicsilenceendured，Cassidycamebrisklyintotheoffice。Bysomemagicofduty，hehadcontrivedtogivehisusuallyhebetudinousfeaturesanexpressionofenthusiasm。 \"Say，Chief，\"thedetectivesaidrapidly，\"they\'vesquealed!\" Burkeregardedhisaidewithanairintolerablytriumphant。Hisvoicecamesmug: \"Squealed，eh？\"HisglanceranoverGarsonforasecond，thenmadeitsinquisitionofMaryandofDickGilder。HedidnotgivealooktoCassidyasheputhisquestion。\"Dotheytellthesamestory？\"Andthen，whenthedetectivehadansweredintheaffirmative，hewentonspeakingintonesponderouswithself-complacency；and，now，hiseyesheldsharply，craftily，onthewoman。 \"Iwasrightthen，afterall——right，allthetime!Goodenough!\" Ofasudden，hisvoiceboomedsomberly。\"MaryTurner，Iwantyouforthemurderof——\" Garson\'srushhaltedthesentence。Hehadleapedforward。Hisfacewasrigid。HebrokeontheInspector\'swordswithagestureoffury。Hisvoicecameinahiss: \"That\'sadamnedlie!……Ididit!\" CHAPTERXXIV。ANGUISHANDBLISS。 JoeGarsonhadshoutedhisconfessionwithoutasecondofreflection。Buttheresultmusthavebeenthesamehadhetakenyearsofthought。Betweenhimandherasthevictimofthelaw，therecouldbenohesitationforchoice。Indeed，justnow，hehadnoheedtohisownfate。Theprimenecessitywastosaveher，Mary，fromthetoilsofthelawthatwereclosingaroundher。Forhimself，inthedaystocome，therewouldbeaghastlydread，buttherewouldneverberegretoverthecostofsavingher。Perhaps，someotherhemighthaveletsufferinhisstead——nother!Even，hadhebeeninnocent，andsheguiltyofthecrime，hewouldstillhavetakentheburdenofitonhisownshoulders。Hehadsavedherfromthewaters——hewouldsaveheruntiltheend，asfarasthepowerinhimmightlie。Itwasthusthat，withtheprimitivedirectnessofhisreverentialloveforthegirl，hecountednosacrificetoogreatinherbehalf。JoeGarsonwasnotagoodman，attheworldesteemsgoodness。Onthecontrary，hewasdistinctlyanevilone，amenacetothesocietyonwhichhepreyedconstantly。Buthisgoodqualities，iffew，wereofthestrongestfiber，rootedinthedeepsofhim。Heloathedtreachery。Hisoneguiltinessinthisrespecthadbeen，curiouslyenough，towardMaryherself，intheschemeoftheburglary，whichshehadforbidden。But，inthelastanalysis，herehisdeceithadbeendesignedtobringaffluencetoher。Itwashisabhorrenceoftreacheryamongpalsthathaddrivenhimtothemurderofthestool-pigeoninafitofungovernablepassion。 Hemighthavestayedhishandthen，butforthegustyragethatswepthimontothecrime。Nonetheless，hadhesparedtheman，hishatredofthebetrayerwouldhavebeenthesame……AndtheothervirtueofJoeGarsonwasthecomplementofthis——hisownloyalty，aloyaltythatmadehimforgetselfutterlywhereheloved。TheonewomanwhohadeverfilledhisheartwasMary，andforherhislifewerenottoomuchtogive。 ThesuddennessofitallheldMaryvoicelessforlongseconds。 Shewasfrozenwithhorroroftheevent。 When，atlast，wordscame，theywereafranticprayerofprotest。 \"No，Joe!No!Don\'ttalk——don\'ttalk!\" Burke，immenselygratified，wentnimblytohischair，andthencesurveyedtheagitatedgroupwithgrislypleasure。 \"Joehastalked，\"hesaid，significantly。 Mary，shakenasshewasbythefactofGarson\'sconfession，neverthelessretainedherpresenceofmindsufficientlytoresistwithallherstrength。 \"Hedidittoprotectme，\"shestated，earnestly。 TheInspectordisdainedsuchfutileargument。Asthedoormanappearedinanswertothebuzzer，hedirectedthatthestenographerbesummonedatonce。 \"We\'llhavetheconfessionindueform，\"heremarked，gazingpleasedlyonthethreebeforehim。 \"He\'snotgoingtoconfess，\"Maryinsisted，withspirit。 ButBurkewasnotintheleastimpressed。Hedisregardedhercompletely，andspokemechanicallytoGarsontheformalwarningrequiredbythelaw。 \"Youareherebycautionedthatanythingyousaymaybeusedagainstyou。\"Then，asthestenographerentered，hewentonwithlivelyinterest。\"Now，Joe!\" Yetonceagain，Maryprotested，alittlewildly。 \"Don\'tspeak，Joe!Don\'tsayawordtillwecangetalawyerforyou!\" Themanmetherpleadingeyessteadily，andshookhisheadinrefusal。 \"It\'snouse，mygirl，\"Burkebrokein，harshly。\"ItoldyouI\'dgetyou。I\'mgoingtotryyouandGarson，andthewholegangformurder——yes，everyoneofyou……Andyou，Gilder，\"hecontinued，loweringontheyoungmanwhohaddefiedhimsoobstinately，\"you\'llgototheHouseofDetentionasamaterialwitness。\"HeturnedhisgazetoGarsonagain，andspokeauthoritatively:\"Comeonnow，Joe!\" Garsonwentasteptowardthedesk，andspokedecisively。 \"IfIcomethrough，you\'lllethergo——andhim？\"headdedasanafterthought，withanodtowardDickGilder。 \"Oh，Joe，don\'t!\"Marycried，bitterly。\"We\'llspendeverydollarwecanraisetosaveyou!\" \"Now，it\'snouse，\"theInspectorcomplained。\"You\'reonlywastingtime。He\'ssaidthathedidit。That\'sallthereistoit。Nowthatwe\'resurehe\'sourman，hehasn\'tgotachanceintheworld。\" \"Well，howaboutit？\"Garsondemanded，savagely。\"Dotheygoclear，ifIcomethrough？\" \"We\'llgetthebestlawyersinthecountry，\"Marypersisted，desperately。\"We\'llsaveyou，Joe——we\'llsaveyou!\" Garsonregardedthedistraughtgirlwithwistfuleyes。Buttherewasnotraceofyieldinginhisvoiceashereplied，thoughhespokeverysorrowfully。 \"No，youcan\'thelpme，\"hesaid，simply。\"Mytimehascome，Mary……AndIcansaveyoualotoftrouble。\" \"He\'srightthere，\"Burkeejaculated。\"We\'vegothimcold。So，what\'stheuseofdraggingyoutwointoit？\" \"Then，theygoclear？\"Garsonexclaimed，eagerly。\"Theyain\'teventobecalledaswitnesses？\" Burkenoddedassent。 \"You\'reon!\"heagreed。 \"Then，heregoes!\"Garsoncried；andhelookedexpectantlytowardthestenographer。 Thestrainofitallwassappingthewillofthegirl，whosawthemanshesogreatlyesteemedforhisservicetoherandhisdevotionabouttocondemnhimselftodeath。Shegrewhalf-hysterical。Herwordscameconfusedly: \"No，Joe!No，no，no!\" Again，Garsonshookhisheadinabsoluterefusalofherplea。 \"There\'snootherwayout，\"hedeclared，wearily。\"I\'mgoingthroughwithit。\"Hestraightenedalittle，andagainlookedatthestenographer。Hisvoicecamequietly，withoutanytremulousnesss。 \"MynameisJoeGarson。\" \"Alias？\"Burkesuggested。 \"Aliasnothing!\"camethesharpretort。\"Garson\'smymonaker。I shotEnglishEddie，becausehewasaskunk，andastool-pigeon，andhegotjustwhatwascomingtohim。\"Vituperationbeyondthemerewordsbeatinhisvoicenow。 Burketwisteduneasilyinhischair。 \"Now，now!\"heobjected，severely。\"Wecan\'ttakeaconfessionlikethat。\" Garsonshookhishead——spokewithfiercerhatred。\"becausehewasaskunk，andastool-pigeon，\"herepeated。\"Haveyougotit？\" Andthen，asthestenographernoddedassent，hewenton，lessviolently:\"Icroakedhimjustashewasgoingtocallthebullswithapolice-whistle。Iusedagunwithsmokelesspowder。IthadaMaximsilenceronit，sothatitdidn\'tmakeanynoise。\" Garsonpaused，andthesetdespairofhisfeatureslightenedalittle。Intohisvoicecameatoneofexultationindescribablyghastly。Itwasbornoftheeternalegotismofthecriminal，fatteningvanityingloatingoverhisingenuityforevil。 Garson，despitehistwogreatvirtues，hadthevicesofhisclass。Now，hestaredatBurkewithaquizzicalgrincrookinghislips。 \"Say，\"heexclaimed，\"I\'llbetit\'sthefirsttimeaguywasevercroakedwithoneofthemthings!Ain\'tit？\" TheInspectornoddedaffirmation。Therewassincereadmirationinhisexpression，forhewasreadyatalltimestorespectthepersonalabilitiesofthecriminalsagainstwhomhewagedrelentlesswar。 \"That\'sright，Joe!\"hesaid，withperceptibleenthusiasm。 \"Someclasstothat，eh？\"Garsondemanded，stillwiththatgruesomeairofboasting。\"Igotthegun，andtheMaxim-silencerthing，offafenceinBoston，\"heexplained。\"Say，thatthingcostmesixtydollars，andit\'swortheverycentofthemoney…… Why，they\'llremembermeasthefirsttospringoneofthemthings，won\'tthey？\" \"Theysurewill，Joe!\"theInspectorconceded。 \"NobodyknewIhadit，\"Garsoncontinued，droppinghisbraggartmannerabruptly。 Atthewords，Marystarted，andherlipsmovedasifshewereabouttospeak。 Garson，intentonheralways，thoughheseemedtolookonlyatBurke，observedtheeffectonher，andrepeatedhiswordsswiftly，withawarningemphasisthatgavethegirlpause。 \"NobodyknewIhadit——nobodyintheworld!\"hedeclared。\"Andnobodyhadanythingtodowiththekillingbutme。\" Burkeputaquestionthatwastroublinghimmuch，concerningthemotivethatlaybehindtheshootingofGriggs。 \"WasthereanybadfeelingbetweenyouandEddieGriggs？\" Garson\'sreplywasexplicit。 \"Nevertillthatveryminute。Then，Ilearnedthetruthaboutwhathe\'dframedupwithyou。\"Thespeaker\'svoicerevertedtoitsformerfiercenessinrecollectionofthetreacheryofonewhomhehadtrusted。 \"Hewasastool-pigeon，andIhatedhisguts!That\'sall，\"heconcluded，withbrutalcandor。 TheInspectormovedrestlesslyinhischair。Hehadonlydetestationfortheslainman，yettherewassomethingmorbidlydistastefulinthethoughtthathehimselfhadcontrivedthesituationwhichhadresultedinthemurderofhisconfederate。 Itwasonlybyaneffortthatheshookoffthevaguefeelingofguilt。 \"Nothingelsetosay？\"heinquired。 Garsonreflectedforafewseconds，thenmadeagestureofnegation。 \"Nothingelse，\"hedeclared。\"Icroakedhim，andI\'mgladIdoneit。Hewasaskunk。That\'sall，andit\'senough。Andit\'salltrue，sohelpmeGod!\" TheInspectornoddeddismissaltothestenographer，withanairofrelief。 \"That\'sall，Williams，\"hesaid，heavily。\"He\'llsignitassoonasyou\'vetranscribedthenotes。\" Then，asthestenographerlefttheroom，Burketurnedhisgazeonthewoman，whostoodthereinapostureofcompletedejection，herwhite，anguishedfacedowncast。TherewastriumphintheInspector\'svoiceasheaddressedher，forhisprofessionalpridewasfull-fedbythisvictoryoverhisfoes。Buttherewas，too，anundertoneofafeelingsofterthanpride，moregenerous，somethingakintorealcommiserationforthisunhappygirlwhodroopedbeforehim，sufferingsopoignantlyintheknowledgeofthefatethatawaitedthemanwhohadsavedher，whohadlovedhersounselfishly\"Youngwoman，\"Burkesaidbriskly，\"it\'sjustlikeItoldyou。 Youcan\'tbeatthelaw。Garsonthoughthecould——andnow——!\" Hebrokeoff，withawaveofhishandtowardthemanwhohadjustsentencedhimselftodeathintheelectric-chair。 \"That\'sright，\"Garsonagreed，withsomberintensity。Hiseyesweregrowncloudedagainnow，andhisvoicedraggedleaden。 \"That\'sright，Mary，\"herepeateddully，afteralittlepause。 \"Youcan\'tbeatthelaw!\" Therefollowedaperiodofsilence，inwhichgreatemotionswerevibrantfromhearttoheart。GarsonwasthinkingofMary，and，withthethought，intohismiserycreptalittlecomfort。Atleast，shewouldgofree。ThathadbeeninthebargainwithBurke。Andtherewastheboy，too。HiseyesshotasingleswiftglancetowardDickGilder，andhissatisfactionincreasedashenotedthealertpoiseoftheyoungman\'sbody，thestrainedexpressionofthestrongface，thegazeofabsorbedyearningwithwhichheregardedMary。Therecouldbenodoubtconcerningthedepthofthelad\'sloveforthegirl。Moreover，thereweremanlyqualitiesinhimtoworkoutallthingsneedfulforherprotectionthroughlife。Already，hehadprovedhisdevotion，andthatabundantly，hisunswervingfidelitytoher，andtheforcewithinhimthatmadetheseworthyinsomemeasureofher。 Garsonfeltnoleastpangofjealousy。Thoughhelovedthewomanwiththesingleloveofhislife，hehadnever，somehow，hopedaughtforhimself。Therewasevensomethingalmostofthepaternalinthepurityofhislove，asif，indeed，bythefactofrestoringhertolifehehadtakenonhimselftheresponsibilityofaparent。Heknewthattheboyworshipedher，woulddohisbestforher，thatthisbestwouldsufficeforherhappinessintime。Garson，withtheinstinctoflove，guessedthatMaryhadintruthgivenherheartallunawaretothehusbandwhomshehadfirstluredonlyforthelustofrevenge。Garsonnoddedhisheadinamelancholysatisfaction。Hislifewasdone:herswasjustbeginning，now……Butshewouldrememberhim——oh，yes，always! Marywasloyal。 Themancheckedthetrendofhisthoughtsbyamightyeffortofwill。Hemustnotgrowmaudlinhere。HespokeagaintoMary，withacertaindignity。 \"No，youcan\'tbeatthelaw!\"Hehesitatedalittle，thenwenton，withacertaincuriousembarrassment。\"Andthissameoldlawsaysawomanmuststicktoherman。\" Thegirl\'seyesmethiswithpassionatesorrowintheirmistydeeps。GarsongaveasignificantglancetowardDickGilder，thenhisgazereturnedtoher。Therewasasmolderingdespairinthatlook。Therewere，aswell，anentreatyandacommand。 \"So，\"hewenton，\"youmustgoalongwithhim，Mary…… Won\'tyou？It\'sthebestthingtodo。\" Thegirlcouldnotanswer。Therewasaclutchonherthroatjustthen，whichwouldnotrelaxatthecallofherwill。 Thetensionofamomentgrew，becamepervasive。Burke，accustomedashewastoscenesofdramaticviolence，nowexperiencedanaltogetherunfamiliarthrill。AsforGarson，onceagainthesurgeoffeelingthreatenedtooverwhelmhisself-control。Hemustnotbreakdown!ForMary\'ssake，hemustshowhimselfstoical，quiteundisturbedinthissupremehour。 Ofasudden，aninspirationcametohim，ameanstosnapthetension，tocreateadiversionwhollyefficacious。Hewouldturntohisboastingagain，wouldcalluponhisvanity，whichheknewwellashischieffoible，andmakeitserveasthefoilagainsthislove。Hestrovemanfullytothrowoffthesoftermood。Inameasure，atleast，hewonthefight——thoughalways，undertherushofthisvaunting，therethrobbedtheanguishofhisheart。 \"Youwanttocutoutworryingaboutme，\"hecounseled，bravely。 \"Why，Iain\'tworryingany，myself——notalittlebit!Yousee，it\'ssomethingnewI\'vepulledoff。Nobodyeverputoveranythinglikeitbefore。\" HefacedBurkewithagrinofgloatingagain。 \"I\'llbetthere\'llbealotofstuffinthenewspapersaboutthis，andmypicture，too，inmostof\'em!What？\" Theman\'smannerimposedonBurke，thoughMaryfeltthetormentthathisvaingloryingwasmeanttomask。 \"Say，\"GarsoncontinuedtotheInspector，\"ifthereporterswantanypicturesofme，couldIhavesomenewonestaken？Theoneyou\'vegotofmeintheGalleryisovertenyearsold。I\'vetakenoffmybeardsincethen。CanIhaveanewone？\"Heputthequestionwithaneagernessthatseemedallsincere。 Burkeansweredwithafinefeelingofgenerosity。 \"Sure，youcan，Joe!I\'llsendyouuptotheGalleryrightnow。\" \"Immense!\"Garsoncried，boisterously。HemovedtowardDickGilder，walkingwithafaintsuggestionofswaggertocoverthenervoustremorthathadseizedhim。 \"Solong，youngfellow!\"heexclaimed，andheldouthishand。 \"You\'vebeenonthesquare，andIguessyoualwayswillbe。\" Dickhadnoscrupleinclaspingthatextendedhandverywarmlyinhisown。Hehadnofeelingofrepulsionagainstthismanwhohadcommittedamurderinhispresence。Thoughhedidnotquiteunderstandtheother\'sheart，hisinstinctasalovertaughthimmuch，sothathepitiedprofoundly——andrespected，too。 \"We\'lldowhatwecanforyou，\"hesaid，simply。 \"That\'sallright，\"Garsonreplied，withsuchcarelessnessofmannerashecouldcontrive。Then，atlast，heturnedtoMary。 Thispartingmustbebitter，andhebracedhimselfwithallthevigorsofhiswilltocombattheweaknessthatleapedfromhissoul。 Ashecamenear，thegirlcouldholdherselfinleashnolonger。 Shethrewherselfonhisbreast。Herarmswreathedabouthisneck。Greatsobsrackedher。 \"Oh，Joe，Joe!\"Thegaspingcrywasofutterdespair。 Garson\'stremblinghandpattedthegirl\'sshoulderverysoftly，acaressofinfinitetenderness。 \"That\'sallright!\"hemurmured，huskily。\"That\'sallright，Mary!\"Therewasashortsilence；andthenhewentonspeaking，morefirmly。\"Youknow，he\'lllookafteryou。\" Hewouldhavesaidmore，buthecouldnot。Itseemedtohimthatthesobsofthegirlcaughtinhisownthroat。Yet，presently，hestroveonceagain，witheveryreserveofhisstrength；and，finally，hesofarmasteredhimselfthathecouldspeakcalmly。 Thewordswereutteredwithasubtlerenunciationthatwasthisman\'sreligion。 \"Yes，he\'lltakecareofyou。Why，I\'dliketoseethetwoofyouwithaboutthreekiddiesplayingroundthehouse。\" Helookedupoverthegirl\'sshoulder，andbeckonedwithhisheadtoDick，whocameforwardatthesummons。 \"Takegoodcareofher，won\'tyou？\" Hedisengagedhimselfgentlyfromthegirl\'sembrace，andsetherwithinthearmsofherhusband，wheresherestedquietly，asifunabletofightlongeragainstfate\'sdecree。 \"Well，solong!\" Hedarednotutteranotherword，butturnedblindly，andwent，stumblingalittle，towardthedoorman，whohadappearedinanswertotheInspector\'scall。 \"TotheGallery，\"Burkeordered，curtly。 Garsonwentonwithouteveraglanceback……Hisstrengthwasatanend。 ***** TherewasalongsilenceintheroomafterGarson\'spassing。Itwasbroken，atlast，bytheInspector，whogotupfromhischair，andadvancedtowardthehusbandandwife。Inhishand，hecarriedasheetofpaper，roughlyscrawled。Ashestoppedbeforethetwo，andclearedhisthroat，MarywithdrewherselffromDick\'sarms，andregardedtheofficialwithbroodingeyesfromoutherwhiteface。Somethingstrangeinherenemy\'sexpressioncaughtherattention，somethingthatsetnewhopesalivewithinherinafashionwhollyinexplicable，sothatshewaitedwithasudden，breathlesseagerness。 Burkeextendedthesheetofpapertothehusband。 \"There\'sadocument，\"hesaidgruffly。\"It\'saletterfromoneHelenMorris，inwhichshesetsforththeinterestingfactthatshepulledoffatheftintheEmporium，forwhichyourMrs。 Gilderheredidtime。Youknow，yourfathergotyourMrs。Gildersentupforthreeyearsforthatsamejob——whichshedidn\'tdo! That\'swhyshehadsuchagrudgeagainstyourfather，andagainstthelaw，too!\" Burkechuckled，astheyoungmantookthepaper，wonderingly。 \"Idon\'tknowthatIblamehermuchforthatgrudge，whenall\'ssaidanddone……Yougivethatdocumenttoyourfather。Itsetsherright。He\'sajustmanaccordingtohislights，yourfather。 He\'lldoallhecantomakethingsrightforher，nowheknows。\" Onceagain，theInspectorpausedtochuckle。 \"Iguessshe\'llkeepwithinthelawfromnowon，\"hecontinued，contentedly，\"withoutgettingalawyertotellherhow……Now，youtwolisten。I\'vegottogooutaminute。WhenIgetback，I don\'twanttofindanybodyhere——notanybody!Doyougetme？\" Hestrodefromtheroom，fearfullestfurtherdelaymightinvolvehiminsentimentalthanksgivingsfromoneortheother，orboth——andBurkehatedsentimentassomethingdistinctlyunprofessional。 ***** Whentheofficialwasgone，thetwostoodstaringmutelyeachattheotherthroughlongseconds。Whatshereadintheman\'seyessetthewoman\'shearttobeatingwithanewdelight。Abloomofexquisiterosegrewinthepallorofhercheeks。Themistylightinthevioleteyesshonemoreradiant，yetmoresoftly。Thecrimsonlipscurvedtostrangetenderness……Whathereadinhereyessetthehusband\'spulsestobounding。Heopenedhisarmsinanappealthatwasacommand。Marywentforwardslowly，withouthesitation，inablissthatforgoteverysorrowforthatblessedmoment，andcastherselfonhisbreast。