第7章

Griggswouldhavearguedthematter。\"Idon\'tseeanyeasierwaytogethalfamillion，\"hesaidaggressively。 Mary，however，wasunimpressed。 \"Ifitwerefiftymillions，itwouldmakenodifference。It\'sagainstthelaw。\" \"Oh，Iknowallthat，ofcourse，\"Griggsreturnedimpatiently。 \"Butifyoucan——\" Maryinterruptedhiminatoneoffinality。 \"MyfriendsandIneverdoanythingthat\'sillegal!Thankyouforcomingtous，Mr。Griggs，butwecan\'tgoin，andthere\'sanendofthematter。\" \"Butwaitaminute，\"EnglishEddieexpostulated，\"youseethischap，Gilder，is——\" Mary\'smannerchangedfromindifferencetosuddenkeeninterest。 \"Gilder？\"sheexclaimed，questioningly。 \"Yes。Youknowwhoheis，\"Griggsanswered；\"thedrygoodsman。\" GarsoninhisturnshowedanewexcitementashebenttowardMary。 \"Why，it\'soldGilder，themanyou——\" Mary，however，hadregainedherself-control，foramomentrudelyshaken，andnowhervoicewastranquilagainasshereplied: \"Iknow。But，justthesame，it\'sillegal，andIwon\'ttouchit。 That\'sallthereistoit。\" Griggswasdismayed。 \"Buthalfamillion!\"heexclaimed，disconsolately。\"There\'sastakeworthplayingfor。Thinkofit!\"HeturnedpleadinglytoGarson。\"Halfamillion，Joe!\" Theforgerrepeatedthewordswithaninflectionthatwasgloating。 \"Halfamillion!\" \"Andit\'sthesoftestthingyoueversaw。\" Thetelephoneatthedeskrang，andMaryspokeintoitforamoment，thenroseandexcusedherselftoresumetheconversationoverthewiremoreprivatelyinthebooth。Theinstantshewasoutoftheroom，GriggsturnedtoGarsonanxiously。 \"It\'sacinch，Joe，\"hepleaded。\"I\'vegotaplanofthehouse。\" Hedrewapaperfromhisbreast-pocket，andhandedittotheforger，whoseizeditavidlyandstudieditwithintent，avariciouseyes。 \"Itlookseasy，\"Garsonagreed，ashegavebackthepaper。 \"Itiseasy，\"Griggsreiterated。\"Whatdoyousay？\" Garsonshookhisheadinrefusal，buttherewasnoconvictionintheact。 \"IpromisedMaryneverto——\" Griggsbrokeinonhim。 \"Butachancelikethis!Anyhow，comearoundtothebackroomatBlinkey\'sto-night，andwe\'llhaveatalk。Willyou？\" \"Whattime？\"Garsonaskedhesitatingly，tempted。 \"Makeitearly，saynine，\"wastheanswer。\"Willyou？\" \"I\'llcome，\"Garsonreplied，half-guiltily。AndinthesamemomentMaryreentered。 Griggsroseandspokewithanairofregret。 \"It\'s\'followtheleader，\'\"hesaid，\"andsinceyouareagainstit，thatsettlesit。\" \"Yes，I\'magainstit，\"Marysaid，firmly。 \"I\'msorry，\"EnglishEddierejoined。\"Butwemustallplaythegameasweseeit……Well，thatwasthebusinessIwasafter，and，asit\'sfinished，why，good-afternoon，MissTurner。\"HenoddedtowardJoe，andtookhisdeparture。 SomethingofwhatwasinhismindwasrevealedinGarson\'sfirstspeechafterGriggs\'sgoing。 \"That\'samightybigstakehe\'splayingfor。\" \"Andabigchancehe\'staking!\"Maryretorted。\"No，Joe，wedon\'twantanyofthat。We\'llplayagamethat\'ssafeandsure。\" Thewordsrecalledtotheforgerweirdforebodingsthathadbeentroublinghimthroughouttheday。 \"It\'ssureenough，\"hestated，\"butisitsafe？\" Marylookedupquickly。 \"Whatdoyoumean？\"shedemanded。 Garsonwalkedtoandfronervouslyasheanswered。 \"S\'posethebullsgettiredofyouputtingitoveron\'emandtrysomeroughwork？\" Marysmiledcarelessly。 \"Don\'tworry，Joe，\"sheadvised。\"Iknowawaytostopit。\" \"Well，sofarasthatgoes，sodoI，\"theforgersaid，withsignificantemphasis。 \"Justwhatdoyoumeanbythat？\"Marydemanded，suspiciously。 \"Forroughwork，\"hesaid，\"Ihavethis。\"Hetookamagazinepistolfromhispocket。Itwasofanoddshape，withabarrellongerthanisusualandabell-shapedcontrivanceattachedtothemuzzle。 \"No，no，Joe，\"Marycried，greatlydiscomposed。\"Noneofthat——ever!\" Theforgersmiled，andtherewasmalignanttriumphinhisexpression。 \"Pooh!\"heexclaimed。\"EvenifIusedit，theywouldnevergetontome。Seethis？\"Hepointedatthestrangecontrivanceonthemuzzle。 Mary\'scuriositymadeherforgetforamomentherdistaste。 \"Whatisit？\"sheasked，interestedly。\"Ihaveneverseenanythinglikethatbefore。\" \"Ofcourseyouhaven\'t，\"Garsonansweredwithmuchpride。\"I\'mthefirstmaninthebusinesstogetone，andI\'llbetonit。I keepupwiththetimes。\"Foronce，hewasrevealingthatfundamentalegotismwhichisthecharacteristicofallhiskind。 \"That\'soneofthenewMaximsilencers，\"hecontinued。\"Withsmokelesspowderinthecartridges，andthesilenceron，Icanmakeashotfrommycoat-pocket，andyouwouldn\'tevenknowithadbeendone……AndI\'msomeshot，believeme。\" \"Impossible!\"Maryejaculated。 \"No，itain\'t，\"themanasserted。\"Here，wait，I\'llshowyou。\" \"Goodgracious，nothere!\"Maryexclaimedinalarm。\"Wewouldhavethewholeplacedownonus。\" Garsonchuckled。 \"Youjustwatchthatdinkylittlevaseonthetableacrosstheroomthere。\'Tain\'tveryvaluable，isit？\" \"No，\"Maryanswered。 Inthesameinstant，whilestillhereyeswereonthevase，itfellinacascadeofshiveredglasstothetableandfloor。Shehadheardnosound，shesawnosmoke。Perhaps，therehadbeenafaintestclickingnoise。Shewasnotsure。Shestareddumfoundedforafewseconds，thenturnedherbewilderedfacetowardGarson，whowasgrinninginhighenjoyment。 \"Iwould\'nthavebelieveditpossible，\"shedeclared，vastlyimpressed。 \"Neatlittlething，ain\'tit？\"themanasked，exultantly。 \"Wheredidyougetit？\"Maryasked。 \"InBoston，lastweek。Andbetweenyouandme，Mary，it\'stheonlymodel，anditsureisacorkerforcrime。\" ThesinisterassociationofideasmadeMaryshudder，butshesaidnomore。Shewouldhaveshudderedagain，ifshecouldhaveguessedthevitalpartthatpistolwasdestinedtoplay。Butshehadnothoughtofanyactualperiltocomefromit。Shemighthavethoughtotherwise，couldshehaveknownofthemeetingthatnightinthebackroomofBlinkey\'s，whereEnglishEddieandGarsonsatwiththeirheadsclosetogetheroveratable。 \"Achancelikethis，\"Griggswassaying，\"achancethatwillmakeafortuneforallofus。\" \"Itsoundsgood，\"Garsonadmitted，wistfully。 \"Itisgood，\"theotherdeclaredwithanoath。\"Why，ifthisgoesthrough，we\'resetupforlife。Wecanquit，allofus。\" \"Yes，\"Garsonagreed，\"wecanquit，allofus。\"Therewasavariceinhisvoice。 Thetempterwassurethatthebattlewaswon，andsmiledcontentedly。 \"Well，\"heurged，\"whatdoyousay？\" \"Howwouldwesplitit？\"ItwasplainthatGarsonhadgivenoverthestruggleagainstgreed。Afterall，Marywasonlyawoman，despitehercleverness，andwithallawoman\'stimidity。Herewassportformen。 \"Threewayswouldberight，\"Griggsanswered。\"Onetome，onetoyouandonetobedividedupamongtheothers。\" Garsonbroughthisfistdownonthetablewithaforcethatmadetheglassesjingle。 \"You\'reon，\"hesaid，strongly。 \"Fine!\"Griggsdeclared，andthetwomenshookhands。\"Now，I\'llget——\" \"Getnothing!\"Garsoninterrupted。\"I\'llgetmyownmen。 ChicagoRedisintown。SoisDacey，withperhapsacoupleofothersoftherightsort。I\'llgetthemtomeetyouatBlinkey\'sattwoto-morrowafternoon，and，ifitlooksright，we\'llturnthetrickto-morrownight。\" \"That\'sthestuff，\"Griggsagreed，greatlypleased。 ButasuddenshadowfellonthefaceofGarson。Hebentclosertohiscompanion，andspokewithafierceintensitythatbrookednodenial。 \"Shemustneverknow。\" Griggsnoddedunderstandingly。 \"Ofcourse，\"heanswered。\"IgiveyoumywordthatI\'llnevertellher。Andyouknowyoucantrustme，Joe。\" \"Yes，\"theforgerrepliedsomberly，\"IknowIcantrustyou。\" Buttheshadowdidnotliftfromhisface。 CHAPTERXIV。AWEDDINGANNOUNCEMENT。 MarydismissedGarsonpresently，andbetookherselftoherbedroomforanap。Thedayhadbeenatryingone，and，thoughhersuperbhealthcouldenduremuch，shefeltthatbothprudenceandcomfortrequiredthatsheshouldrecruitherenergieswhiletherewasopportunity。ShewasnotintheleastsurprisedthatDickhadnotyetreturned，thoughhehadmentionedhalfanhour。 Atthebest，thereweremanythingsthatmightdetainhim，hisfather\'sabsencefromtheoffice，difficultiesinmakingarrangementsforhisprojectedhoneymoontripabroad——whichwouldneveroccur——orthelike。Attheworst，therewasachanceoffindinghisfatherpromptly，andofthatfatheraspromptlytakingstepstopreventthesonfromeveragainseeingthewomanwhohadsoindiscreetlymarriedhim。Yet，somehow，Marycouldnotbelievethatherhusbandwouldyieldtosuchpaternalcoercion。Rather，shewassurethathewouldproveloyaltoherwhomheloved，througheverytrouble。Atthethoughtacertainwistfulnesspervadedher，andapoignantregretthatthisparticularmanshouldhavebeentheonechosenoffatetobeentangledwithinhermeshofrevenge。Therethrobbedinheraheart-tormentingrealizationthattherewereinlifepossibilitiesinfinitelymoresplendidthanthejoyofvengeance。 Shewouldnotconfessthetrutheventoherinmostsoul，butthetruthwasthere，andsethera-tremblewithvaguefears。 Nevertheless，becauseshewasinperfecthealth，andwasmuchfatigued，herintrospectiondidnotavailtokeepherawake，andwithinthreeminutesfromthetimeshelaydownshewasblissfullyunconsciousofallthings，boththeevilandthegood，revengeandlove。 Shehadslept，perhaps，ahalf-hour，whenFannieawakenedher。 \"It\'samannamedBurke，\"sheexplained，ashermistresslayblinking。\"Andthere\'sanothermanwithhim。Theysaidtheymustseeyou。\" Bythistime，Marywaswide-awake，forthenameofBurke，thePoliceInspector，wasenoughtostartleheroutofdrowsiness。 \"Bringthemin，infiveminutes，\"shedirected。 Shegotup，slippedintoatea-gown，bathedhereyesincologne，dressedherhairalittle，andwentintothedrawing-room，wherethetwomenhadbeenwaitingforsomethingmorethanaquarterofanhour——totheviolentindignationofboth。 \"Oh，hereyouare，atlast!\"thebig，burlymancriedassheentered。Thewholeairofhim，thoughhewasincivilian\'sclothes，proclaimedthepoliceman。 \"Yes，Inspector，\"Maryrepliedpleasantly，assheadvancedintotheroom。Shegaveaglancetowardtheothervisitor，whowasofaslendererform，withathin，keenface，andrecognizedhiminstantlyasDemarest，whohadtakenpartagainstherasthelawyerforthestoreatthetimeofhertrial，andwhowasnowholdingtheofficeofDistrictAttorney。Shewenttothechairatthedesk，andseatedherselfinaleisurelyfashionthatincreasedtheindignationofthefumingInspector。Shedidnottroubletoaskherself-invitedgueststosit。 \"TowhomdoIowethepleasureofthisvisit，Inspector？\"sheremarkedcoolly。Itwasnoticeablethatshesaidwhomandnotwhat，asifsheunderstoodperfectlythattheinfluenceofsomepersonbroughthimonthiserrand。 \"Ihavecometohaveafewquietwordswithyou，\"theInspectordeclared，inamightyvoicethatsettheglobesofthechandeliersa-quiver。Marydisregardedhim，andturnedtotheotherman。 \"Howdoyoudo，Mr。Demarest？\"shesaid，evenly。\"It\'sfouryearssincewemet，andthey\'vemadeyouDistrictAttorneysincethen。Allowmetocongratulateyou。\" Demarest\'skeenfacetookonanexpressionofperplexity。 \"I\'mpuzzled，\"heconfessed。\"Thereissomethingfamiliar，somehow，aboutyou，andyet——\"Hescrutinizedappreciativelythelovelinessofthegirlwithherclassicallybeautifulface，thatwasstillindividualinitscharm，theslimgracesofthetall，lissomeform。\"Ishouldhaverememberedyou。Idon\'tunderstandit。\" \"Can\'tyouguess？\"Maryquestioned，somberly。\"Searchyourmemory，Mr。Demarest。\" Ofasudden，thefaceoftheDistrictAttorneylightened。 \"Why，\"heexclaimed，\"youare——itcan\'tbe——yes——youarethegirl，you\'retheMaryTurnerwhomI——oh，Iknowyounow。\" Therewasanenigmaticsmilebendingthescarletlipsassheanswered。 \"I\'mthegirlyoumean，Mr。Demarest，but，fortherest，youdon\'tknowme——notatall!\" TheburlyfigureoftheInspectorofPolice，whichhadloomedmotionlessduringthiscolloquy，nowadvancedastep，andthebigvoiceboomedthreatening。Itwasveryroughandweightedwithauthority。 \"Youngwoman，\"Burkesaid，peremptorily，\"theTwentiethCenturyLimitedleavesGrandCentralStationatfouro\'clock。ItarrivesinChicagoateight-fifty-fiveto-morrowmorning。\"Hepulledamassivegoldwatchfromhiswaistcoatpocket，glancedatit，thrustitback，andconcludedponderously:\"Youwilljustabouthavetimetocatchthattrain。\" Maryregardedthestockilybuiltofficerwithahalf-amusedcontempt，whichshewasatnopainstoconceal。 \"WorkingfortheNewYorkCentralnow？\"sheaskedblandly。 ThegibemadetheInspectorfurious。 \"I\'mworkingforthegoodofNewYorkCity，\"heansweredvenomously。 Maryletarippleofcadencedlaughterescapeher。 \"Sincewhen？\"shequestioned。 AlittlesmiletwistedthelipsoftheDistrictAttorney，buthecaughthimselfquickly，andspokewithsterngravity。 \"MissTurner，Ithinkyouwillfindthatadifferenttonewillserveyoubetter。\" \"Oh，lethertalk，\"Burkeinterjectedangrily。\"She\'sonlygotafewminutesanyway。\" Maryremainedunperturbed。 \"Verywell，then，\"shesaidgenially，\"letusbecomfortableduringthatlittleperiod。\"Shemadeagestureofinvitationtowardchairs，whichBurkedisdainedtoaccept；butDemarestseatedhimself。 \"You\'dbetterbepackingyourtrunk，\"theInspectorrumbled。 \"Butwhy？\"Maryinquired，withatantalizingassumptionofinnocence。\"I\'mnotgoingaway。\" \"OntheTwentiethCenturyLimited，thisafternoon，\"theInspectordeclared，inavoiceofgrowingwrath。 \"Oh，dear，no!\"Mary\'sassertionwasmadeveryquietly，butwithanunderlyingfirmnessthatirritatedtheofficialbeyondendurance。 \"Isayyes!\"Theanswerwasabellow。 Maryappeareddistressed，notfrightened。Herwordswereanironicprotestagainsttheman\'sobstreperousnoisiness，nomore。 \"Ithoughtyouwantedquietwordswithme。\" Burkewenttowardher，inarage。 \"Now，lookhere，Mollie——\"hebeganharshly。 Ontheinstant，Marywasonherfeet，facinghim，andtherewasagleaminhereyesastheymethisthatbadehimpause。 \"MissTurner，ifyoudon\'tmind。\"Shelaughedslightly。\"Forthepresent，anyway。\"Shereseatedherselftranquilly。 Burkewaschecked，butheretainedhisseverityofbearing。 \"I\'mgivingyouyourorders。YouwilleithergotoChicago，oryou\'llgouptheriver。\" Maryansweredinavoicechargedwithcynicism。 \"Ifyoucanconvictme。Pray，noticethatlittleword\'if\'。\" TheDistrictAttorneyinterposedverysuavely。 \"Ididonce，remember。\" \"Butyoucan\'tdoitagain，\"Marydeclared，withanassurancethatexcitedtheastonishmentofthepoliceofficial。 \"Howdoyouknowhecan\'t？\"heblustered。 Marylaughedinacadenceofgenialmerriment。 \"Because，\"sherepliedgaily，\"ifhecould，hewouldhavehadmeinprisonsometimeago。\" Burkewinced，buthemadeshifttoconcealhisrealizationofthetruthshehadstatedtohim。 \"Huh!\"heexclaimedgruffly。\"I\'veseenthemgoupprettyeasy。\" Marymettheassertionwithaserenitythatwasbaffling。 \"Thepoorones，\"shevouchsafed；\"notthosethathavemoney。I havemoney，plentyofmoney——now。\" \"Moneyyoustole!\"theInspectorreturned，brutally。 \"Oh，dear，no!\"Marycried，withafineshowofvirtuousindignation。 \"Whataboutthethirtythousanddollarsyougotonthatpartnershipswindle？\"Burkeasked，sneering。\"Is\'poseyoudidn\'tstealthat!\" \"Certainlynot，\"wasthereadyreply。\"Themanadvertisedforapartnerinabusinesssuretobringbigandsafereturns。I answered。Thebusinessproposedwastobuyatractofland，andsubdivideit。Thedeedstothelandwereallforged，andthesupposedsellerwashisconfederate，withwhomhewastodividethemoney。Weformedapartnership，withacapitalofsixtythousanddollars。Wepaidthemoneyintothebank，andthenatonceIdrewitout。Yousee，hewantedtogetmymoneyillegally，butinsteadImanagedtogethislegally。Foritwaslegalformetodrawthatmoney——wasn\'tit，Mr。Demarest？\" TheDistrictAttorneybyaneffortretainedhissevereexpressionofrighteousdisapprobation，butheadmittedthetruthofhercontention。 \"Unfortunately，yes，\"hesaidgravely。\"Apartnerhastherighttodrawoutany，orall，ofthepartnershipfunds。\" \"AndIwasapartner，\"Marysaidcontentedly。\"You，see，Inspector，youwrongme——youdo，really!I\'mnotaswindler；I\'mafinancier。\" Burkesneeredscornfully。 \"Well，\"heroared，\"you\'llneverpullanotheroneonme。Youcangambleonthat!\" Marypermittedherselftolaughmockinglyinthefaceofthebadgeredofficial。 \"Thankyoufortellingme，\"shesaid，graciously。\"Andletmesay，incidentally，thatMissLynchatthepresentmomentispainlesslyextractingtenthousanddollarsfromGeneralHastingsinaperfectlylegalmanner，InspectorBurke。\" \"Well，anyhow，\"Burkeshouted，\"youmaystayinsidethelaw，butyou\'vegottogetoutsidethecity。\"Hetriedtoemployanelephantinebanteringtone。\"Onthelevel，now，doyouthinkyoucouldgetawaywiththatyoungGilderschemeyou\'vebeenplanning？\" Maryappearedpuzzled。 \"WhatyoungGilderscheme？\"sheasked，herbrowsdrawninbewilderment。 \"Oh，I\'mwise——I\'mwise!\"theInspectorcriedroughly。\"Theansweris，onceforall，leavetownthisafternoon，oryou\'llbeintheTombsinthemorning。\" Abruptly，achangecameoverthewoman。Hitherto，shehadbeencynical，sarcastic，laughing，careless，impudent。Now，ofasudden，shewasallseriousness，andshespokewithagravitythat，despitetheirvolition，impressedboththemenbeforeher。 \"Itcan\'tbedone，Inspector，\"shesaid，sedately。 Thedeclaration，simpleasitwas，arousedtheofficialtonewindignation。 \"Whosaysitcan\'t？\"hevociferated，overflowingwithangeratthisfloutingoftheauthorityherepresented。 Maryopenedadrawerofthedesk，andtookoutthedocumentobtainedthatmorningfromHarris，andhelditforth。 \"This，\"shereplied，succinctly。 \"What\'sthis？\"Burkestormed。Buthetookthepaper。 DemarestlookedovertheInspector\'sshoulder，andhiseyesgrewlargerasheread。Whenhewasatanendofthereading，heregardedthepassivewomanatthedeskwithanewrespect。 \"What\'sthis？\"Burkerepeatedhelplessly。Itwasnoteasyforhimtointerpretthelegalphraseology。Marywaskindenoughtomakethedocumentcleartohim。 \"It\'satemporaryrestrainingorderfromtheSupremeCourt，instructingyoutoletmealoneuntilyouhavelegalproofthatI havebrokenthelaw……Doyougetthat，Mr。InspectorBurke？\" Theplethoricofficialstaredhardattheinjunction。 \"Anothernewone，\"hestutteredfinally。Thenhisangersoughtventinviolentassertion。\"Butitcan\'tbedone!\"heshouted。 \"YoumightaskMr。Demarest，\"Marysuggested，pleasantly，\"astowhetherornotitcanbedone。Thegamblinghousescandoit，andsokeeponbreakingthelaw。Theracetrackmencandoit，andlaughatthelaw。Therailroadcandoit，torestrainitsemployeesfromstriking。So，whyshouldn\'tIgetone，too？Yousee，Ihavemoney。IcanbuyallthelawIwant。Andthere\'snothingyoucan\'tdowiththelaw，ifyouhavemoneyenough…… AskMr。Demarest。Heknows。\" Burkewasfairlygaspingoverthisoutrageagainsthisauthority。 \"Canyoubeatthat!\"herumbledwitharaucouslysonorousvehemence。HeregardedMarywithastareofalmostreverentialwonder。\"Acrookappealingtothelaw!\" Therecameanewnoteintothewoman\'svoiceassheansweredthegibe。 \"No，simplygettingjustice，\"shesaidsimply。\"That\'stheremarkablepartofit。\"Shethrewoffherseriousair。\"Well，gentlemen，\"sheconcluded，\"whatareyougoingtodoaboutit？\" Burkeexplained。 \"ThisiswhatI\'mgoingtodoaboutit。Onewayoranother，I\'mgoingtogetyou。\" TheDistrictAttorney，however，judgeditadvisabletousemorepersuasivemethods。 \"MissTurner，\"hesaid，withanappearanceofsincerity，\"I\'mgoingtoappealtoyoursenseoffairplay。\" Mary\'sshiningeyesmethisforalongmoment，andbeforethechallengeinhers，hisfell。Herememberedthenthosedoubtsthathadassailedhimwhenthisgirlhadbeensentencedtoprison，rememberedthehalf-heartedpleahehadmadeinherbehalftoRichardGilder。 \"Thatwaskilled，\"Marysaid，\"killedfouryearsago。\" ButDemarestpersisted。Influencehadbeenbroughttobearonhim。Itwasforherownsakenowthatheurgedher。 \"LetyoungGilderalone。\" Marylaughedagain。Buttherewasnohintofjoyousnessinthemusicaltones。Heranswerwasfrank——brutallyfrank。Shehadnothingtoconceal。 \"Hisfathersentmeawayforthreeyears——threeyearsforsomethingIdidn\'tdo。Well，he\'sgottopayforit。\" Bythistime，Burke，amanofsuperiorintelligence，asonemustbetoreachsuchapositionofauthority，hadcometorealizethatherewasacasenottobecarriedthroughbyblustering，byintimidation，bytheroughrusesfamiliartotheforce。Herewasawomanofextraordinaryintelligence，aswellasofpeculiarpersonalcharm，whomerelymadesportofhisfulminations，andshowedherselfessentiallyarmedagainstanythinghemightdo，byacourtinjunction，athingunheardofuntilthismomentinthecaseofacommoncrook。Itdawneduponhimthatthiswas，indeed，notacommoncrook。Moreover，therehadgrowninhimacertainadmirationfortheingenuityandresourceofthiswoman，thoughheretainedallhisrancoragainstonewhodaredthustoresistthedulyconstitutedauthority。So，intheend，hespoketoherfrankly，withoutatraceofhisformervirulence，withaveryreal，ifrugged，sincerity。 \"Don\'tfoolyourself，mygirl，\"hesaidinhishugevoice，whichwasnowmodulatedtoadegreethatmadeitalmostunfamiliartohimself。\"Youcan\'tgothroughwiththis。There\'salwaysaweaklinkinthechainsomewhere。It\'suptometofindit，andI will。\" Hiscandormovedhertoalikehonesty。 \"Now，\"shesaid，andtherewasrespectintheglanceshegavethestalwartman，\"nowyoureallysounddangerous。\" Therecameaninterruption，alikeunexpectedbyall。Fannieappearedatthedoor。 \"Mr。EdwardGilderwishestoseeyou，MissTurner，\"shesaid，withnoappreciationofanythingdynamicintheannouncement。 \"ShallIshowhimin？\" \"Oh，certainly，\"Maryanswered，withanadmirablepretenseofindifference，whileBurkeglaredatDemarest，andtheDistrictAttorneyappearedillatease。 \"Heshouldn\'thavecome，\"Demarestmuttered，gettingtohisfeet，inreplytothepuzzledglanceoftheInspector。 Then，whileMarysatquietlyinherchairatthedesk，andthetwomenstoodwatchingdoubtfullythedoor，themaidappeared，stoodaside，andsaidsimply，\"Mr。Gilder。\" Thereenteredtheerect，heavyfigureofthemanwhomMaryhadhatedthroughtheyears。Hestoppedabruptlyjustwithintheroom，gaveaglanceatthetwomen，thenhiseyeswenttoMary，sittingatherdesk，withherfaceliftedinquiringly。Hedidnotpausetotakeinthebeautyofthatface，onlyitsstrength。 Hestaredathersilentlyforamoment。Thenhespokeinhisoritundvoice，alittletremulousfromanxiety。 \"Areyouthewoman？\"hesaid。Therewassomethingsimpleandprimitive，somethingofdignitybeyondtheusualconventions，inhisdirectaddress。 Andtherewasthesameprimitivesimplicityintheanswer。 Betweenthetwostrongnaturestherewasnosubterfuge，nosuggestionofpoliteevasions，oftergiversation，onlythepleaoftruthtotruth。Mary\'sacknowledgmentwasasplainashisownquestion。 \"Iamthewoman。Whatdoyouwant？\"……Thustwohonestfolkhadmetfacetoface。 \"Myson。\"Theman\'sanswerwascomplete。 ButMarytouchedatragicnoteinherquestion。Itwasaskedinnofrivolousspirit，but，ofasudden，sheguessedthathiscomingwasaltogetherofhisownvolition，andnottheresultofhisson\'sinformation，asatfirstshehadsupposed。 \"Haveyouseenhimrecently？\"sheasked。 \"No，\"Gilderanswered。 \"Then，whydidyoucome？\" Thereat，themanwasseizedwithafatherlyfury。Hisheavyfacewascongested，andhissonorousvoicewasharshwithvirtuousrebuke。 \"BecauseIintendtosavemyboyfromagreatfolly。Iaminformedthatheisinfatuatedwithyou，andInspectorBurketellsmewhy——hetellsme——why——hetellsme——\"Hepaused，unableforamomenttocontinuefromanexcessofemotion。Buthisgrayeyesburnedfiercelyinaccusationagainsther。 InspectorBurkehimselffilledthevoidinthehaltingsentence。 \"Itoldyoushehadbeenanex-convict。\" \"Yes，\"Gildersaid，afterhehadregainedhisself-control。Hestaredatherpleadingly。\"Tellme，\"hesaidwithacertaindignity，\"isthistrue？\" Here，then，wasthemomentforwhichshehadlongedthroughwearydays，throughwearyyears。Herewasthemanwhomshehated，suppliantbeforehertoknowthetruth。Herheartquickened。 Truly，vengeanceissweettoonewhohassufferedunjustly。 \"Isthistrue？\"themanrepeated，withsomethingofhorrorinhisvoice。 \"Itis，\"Marysaidquietly。 Foralittle，therewassilenceintheroom。Once，InspectorBurkestartedtospeak，butthemagnatemadeanimperativegesture，andtheofficerheldhispeace。Always，Maryrestedmotionless。Withinher，afiercejoysurged。Herewasthetimeofhervictory。Oppositeherwasthemanwhohadcausedheranguish，themanwhoseunjustactionhadruinedherlife。Now，hewasherhumblepetitioner，butthisservilitycouldbeofnoavailtosavehimfromshame。Hemustdrinkofthedregsofhumiliation——andthenagain。Nopriceweretoogreattopayforawrongsuchasthatwhichhehadputuponher。 Atlast，Gilderwasrestoredinameasuretohisself-possession。 Hespokewiththesurenessofamanofwealth，confidentthatmoneywillsalveanywound。 \"Howmuch？\"heasked，baldly。 Marysmiledaninscrutablesmile。 \"Oh，Idon\'tneedmoney，\"shesaid，carelessly。\"InspectorBurkewilltellyouhoweasyitisformetogetit。\" Gilderlookedatherwithanewlydawningrespect；thenhisshrewdnesssuggestedaretort。 \"Doyouwantmysontolearnwhatyouare？\"hesaid。 Marylaughed。Therewassomethingdreadfulinthatburstofspuriousamusement。 \"Whynot？\"sheanswered。\"I\'mreadytotellhimmyself。\" ThenGildershowedthetrueheartofhim，inwhichloveforhisboywasbeforeallelse。Hefoundhimselfwhollyatalossbeforethewoman\'sunexpectedreply。 \"ButIdon\'twanthimtoknow，\"hestammered。\"Why，I\'vesparedtheboyallhislife。Ifhereallylovesyou——itwill——\" Atthatmoment，thesonhimselfenteredhurriedlyfromthehallway。Inhiseagerness，hesawnoonesavethewomanwhomheloved。Athisentrance，Maryroseandmovedbackwardastepinvoluntarily，insheersurpriseoverhiscoming，eventhoughshehadknownhemustcome——perhapsfromsomeotheremotion，deeper，hiddenasyetevenfromherself。 Theyoungman，withhiswholesomefacealightwithtenderness，wentswiftlytoher，whiletheotherthreemenstoodsilent，motionless，abashedbytheevent。AndDicktookMary\'shandinawarmclasp，pressedittenderly。