第9章

TheInspectorregardedthespeakersearchingly。Hisheavyfacewasdrawninanexpressionofapparentdoubt。Abruptly，then，hesmiledacquiescence。 \"Seemsreasonable，\"headmitted。 Butthefatherstrodetohisson。 \"No，no，Dick，\"hecried。\"Youshallnotgo!Youshallnotgo!\" Burke，however，shookhisheadinremonstranceagainstGilder\'splea。Hishugevoicecamebooming，weightilyimpressive。 \"Whynot？\"hequestioned。\"It\'safairgamble。And，besides，I liketheboy\'snerve。\" Dickseizedontheadmissioneagerly。 \"Andyou\'llagree？\"hecried。 \"Yes，I\'llagree，\"theInspectoranswered。 \"Thankyou，\"Dicksaidquietly。 Butthefatherwasnotcontent。Onthecontrary，hewenttowardthetwohurriedly，withagestureofreproval。 \"Youshallnotgo，Dick，\"hedeclared，imperiously。 TheInspectorshotawordofwarningtoGilderinanasidethatDickcouldnothear。 \"Keepstill，\"hereplied。\"It\'sallright。\" Dickwentonspeakingwithaseriousnesssuitedtothemagnitudeofhisinterests。 \"Yougivemeyourword，Inspector，\"hesaid，\"thatyouwon\'tnotifythepoliceinChicagountilI\'vebeentheretwenty-fourhours？\" \"You\'reon，\"Burkerepliedgenially。\"Theywon\'tgetawhisperoutofmeuntilthetimeisup。\"Heswungabouttofacethefather，andtherewasacompletechangeinhismanner。\"Now，then，Mr。Gilder，\"hesaidbriskly，\"Iwanttotalktoyouaboutanotherlittlematter——\" Dickcaughtthesuggestion，andinterruptedquickly。 \"ThenI\'llgo。\"Hesmiledratherwanlyathisfather。\"Youknow，Dad，I\'msorry，butI\'vegottodowhatIthinkistherightthing。\" Burkehelpedtosavethesituationfromthegrowingtenseness。 \"Sure，\"hecriedheartily；\"sureyouhave。That\'sthebestanyofuscando。\"Hewatchedkeenlyastheyoungmanwentoutoftheroom。ItwasnotuntilthedoorwasclosedafterDickthathespoke。Thenhedroppedtoaseatonthecouch，andproceededtomakehisconfidencestothemagnate。 \"He\'llgotoChicagointhemorning，youthink，don\'tyou？\" \"Certainly，\"Gilderanswered。\"ButIdon\'tlikeit。\" Burkeslappedhislegwithanenthusiasmthatmighthavebrokenaweakermember。 \"Bestthingthatcouldhavehappened!\"hevociferated。Andthen，asGilderregardedhiminastonishment，headded，chuckling:\"Yousee，hewon\'tfindherthere。\" \"Whydoyouthinkthat？\"Gilderdemanded，greatlypuzzled。 Burkepermittedhimselftheluxuryoflaughingappreciativelyamomentmorebeforemakinghisexclamation。Thenhesaidquietly: \"Becauseshedidn\'tgothere。\" \"Wheredidshego，then？\"Gilderqueriedwhollyataloss。 Onceagaintheofficerchuckled。Itwasevidentthathewaswellpleasedwithhisowningenuity。 \"Nowhereyet，\"hesaidatlast。\"But，justaboutthetimehe\'sstartingfortheWestI\'llhaveherdownatHeadquarters。 Demarestwillhaveherindictedbeforenoon。She\'llgofortrialintheafternoon。Andto-morrownightshe\'llbesleepinguptheriver……That\'swheresheisgoing。\" Gilderstoodmotionlessforamoment。Afterall，hewasanordinarycitizen，quiteunfamiliarwiththereconditemethodsfamiliartothepolice。 \"But，\"hesaid，wonderingly，\"youcan\'tdothat。\" TheInspectorlaughed，alaughofdisingenuousamusement，forheunderstoodperfectlythelackofcomprehensiononthepartofhishearer。 \"Well，\"hesaid，andhisvoicesankintoamodestrumblethatwasnonethelessstillthunderous。\"PerhapsIcan\'t!\"Andthenhebeamedbroadly，hiswholefacesmilingblandlyonthemanwhodoubtedhispower。\"PerhapsIcan\'t，\"herepeated。Thenthechucklecameagain，andheaddedemphatically:\"ButIwill!\" Suddenly，hisheavyfacegrewhard。Hisalerteyesshonefiercely，withaflashoffirethatwasknowntoeverypatrolmanwhohadeverreportedtothedeskwhenhewaslieutenant。Hisheavyjawshotforwardaggressivelyashespoke。 \"ThinkI\'mgoingtoletthatgirlmakeajokeofthePoliceDepartment？Why，I\'mheretogether——tostopheranyhow。Hergangisgoingtobreakintoyourhouseto-night。\" \"What？\"Gilderdemanded。\"Youmean，she\'scominghereasathief？\" \"Notexactly，\"InspectorBurkeconfessed，\"butherpalsarecomingtotrytopulloffsomethingrighthere。Shewouldn\'tcome，notifIknowher。She\'stoocleverforthat。Why，ifsheknewwhatGarsonwasplanningtodo，she\'dstophim。\" TheInspectorpausedsuddenly。Foralongminutehisfacewasseamedwiththought。Then，hesmotehisthighwithablowstrongenoughtokillanox。Hisfacewasradiant。 \"ByGod!I\'vegother!\"hecried。Theinspirationforwhichhehadlongedwashisatlast。Hewenttothedeskwherethetelephonewas，andtookupthereceiver。 \"Giveme3100Spring，\"hesaid。AshewaitedfortheconnectionhesmiledwidelyontheastonishedGilder。\"\'Tain\'ttoolate，\" hesaidjoyously。\"Imusthavebeenlosingmymindnottohavethoughtofitbefore。\"Theimpactofsoundsonhisearfromthereceiversethimtoattention。 \"Headquarters？\"hecalled。\"InspectorBurkespeaking。Who\'sinmyoffice？Iwanthimquick。\"Hesmiledashelistened，andhespokeagaintoGilder。\"It\'sSmith，thebestmanIhave。That\'sluck，ifyouaskme。\"Thenagainhespokeintothemouthpieceofthetelephone。 \"Oh，Ed，sendsomeoneuptothatTurnerwoman。Youhavetheaddress。Justseethatsheistippedoff，thatJoeGarsonandsomepalsaregoingtobreakintoEdwardGilder\'shouseto-night。 Getsomestool-pigeontohandhertheinformation。You\'dbettergettoworkdamnedquick。Understand？\" TheInspectorpulledoutthatwatchofwhichAggieLynchhadspokensoavariciously，andglancedatit，thenwentonspeaking: \"It\'sten-thirtynow。ShewenttotheLyricTheaterwithsomewoman。Getherassheleaves，orfindherbackatherownplacelater。You\'llhavetohustle，anyhow。That\'sall!\" TheInspectorhungupthereceiverandfacedhishostwithacontentedsmile。 \"Whatgoodwillallthatdo？\"Gilderdemanded，impatiently。 Burkeexplainedwithasatisfactionnaturaltoonewhohaddevisedsomethingingeniousandadequate。Thisinspirationfilledhimwithdelight。AtlasthewassureofcatchingMaryTurnerherselfinhistoils。 \"She\'llcometostop\'em，\"hesaid。\"Whenwegettherestofthegang，we\'llgrabher，too。Why，Ialmostforgother，thinkingaboutGarson。Mr。Gilder，youwouldhardlybelieveit，butthere\'sscarcelybeenarealbitofforgeryworthwhiledoneinthiscountryforthelasttwentyyears，thatGarsonhasn\'tbeenmixedupin。We\'veneveroncegothimrightinallthattime。\" TheInspectorpausedtochuckle。\"Crooksarefunny，\"heexplainedwithobviouscontentment。\"Cleverasheis，GarsonletGriggstalkhimintoasecond-storyjob，andnowwe\'llgethimwiththegoods……Justcallyourmanforaminute，willyou，Mr。 Gilder？\" Gilderpressedtheelectricbuttononhisdesk。Atthesamemoment，throughtheoctagonalwindowcameablindingflashoflightthatrestedforseconds，thenvanished。Burke，bynomeansanervousman，neverthelesswasstartledbythemysteriousradiance。 \"What\'sthat？\"hedemanded，sharply。 \"It\'stheflashlightfromtheMetropolitanTower，\"Gilderexplainedwithasmileoverthepoliceman\'sperturbation。\"Itswingsaroundthiswayabouteveryfifteenminutes。Theservantforgottodrawthecurtains。\"Ashespoke，hewenttothewindow，andpulledtheheavydraperiesclose。\"Itwon\'tbotherusagain。\" TheentranceofthebutlerbroughttheInspector\'sthoughtsbacktothematterinhand。 \"Myman，\"hesaid，authoritatively，\"Iwantyoutogouptotheroofandopenthescuttle。You\'llfindsomemenwaitingupthere。Bring\'emdownhere。\" Theservant\'susuallyimpassivefaceshowedastonishment，notunmixedwithdismay，andhelookeddoubtfullytowardhismaster，whonoddedreassuringly。 \"Oh，theywon\'thurtyou，\"theInspectordeclared，ashenoticedtheman\'shesitation。\"They\'repoliceofficers。Youget\'emdownhere，andthenyougotobedandstaytheretillmorning。 Understand？\" Again，thebutlerlookedathismasterforguidanceinthisverypeculiaraffair，ashedeemedit。Receivinganothernod，hesaid: \"Verywell，sir。\"HeregardedtheInspectorwithacertainhelplessindignationoverthisdisturbanceofthenaturalorder，andlefttheroom。 Gilderhimselfwaspuzzledoverthesituation，whichwasbynomeanscleartohim。 \"Howdoyouknowthey\'regoingtobreakintothehouseto-night？\" hedemandedofBurke；\"ordoyouonlythinkthey\'regoingtobreakintothehouse？\" \"Iknowtheyare。\"TheInspector\'sharshvoicebroughtoutthewordsboastfully。\"Ifixedit。\" \"Youdid!\"Therewaswonderinthemagnate\'sexclamation。 \"Sure，\"Burkedeclaredcomplacently，\"diditthroughastool-pigeon。\" \"Oh，aninformer，\"Gilderinterrupted，alittledoubtfully。 \"Yes，\"Burkeagreed。\"Stool-pigeonisthepolicenameforhim。 Really，he\'sthevilestthingthatcrawls。\" \"But，ifyouthinkthat，\"Gilderexpostulated，\"whydoyouhaveanythingtodowiththatsortofperson？\" \"Becauseit\'sgoodbusiness，\"theInspectorreplied。\"Weknowhe\'saspyandatraitor，andthateverytimehecomesnearusweoughttouseadisinfectant。Butwedealwithhimjustthesame——becausewehaveto。Now，thestool-pigeoninthistrickisaswellEnglishcrook。HewenttoGarsonyesterdaywithaschemetorobyourhouse。HetriedoutMaryTurner，too，butshewouldn\'tstandforit——saiditwouldbreakthelaw，whichiscontrarytoherprinciples。ShetoldGarsontoleaveitalone。 ButhemetGriggsafterwardwithoutherknowinganythingaboutit，andthenheagreedtopullitoff。Griggsgotwordtomethatit\'scomingoffto-night。Andso，yousee，Mr。Gilder，that\'showIknow。Doyougetme？\" \"Isee，\"Gilderadmittedwithoutanyenthusiasm。Asamatteroffact，hefeltsomewhatoffendedthathishouseshouldbethussummarilyseizedasatrapforcriminals。 \"Butwhydoyouhaveyourmencomedownovertheroof？\"heinquiredcuriously。 \"Itwasn\'tsafetobringtheminthefrontway，\"wastheInspector\'spromptreply。\"It\'sacinchthehouseisbeingwatched。Iwishyouwouldletmehaveyourlatch-key。Iwanttocomeback，andmakethiscollarmyself。\" TheownerofthehouseobedientlytookthedesiredkeyfromhisringandgaveittotheInspectorwithashrugofresignation。 \"But，whynotstay，nowthatyouarehere？\"heasked。 \"Huh!\"Burkeretorted。\"Supposesomeofthemsawmecomein？ Therewouldn\'tbeanythingdoinguntilaftertheyseemegooutagain。\" Thehalldooropenedandthebutlerreenteredtheroom。BehindhimcameCassidyandtwootherdetectivesinplainclothes。Atawordfromhismaster，thedisturbedThomaswithdrewwiththeintentionofobeyingtheInspector\'sdirectionsthatheshouldretiretobedandstaythere，carefullyavoidingwhateverpossibilitiesofperiltheremightbeinthesituationsoforeigntohisidealsofpropriety。 \"Now，\"Burkewentonbriskly，asthedoorclosedbehindtheservant，\"wherecouldthesemenstayoutofsightuntilthey\'reneeded？\" Therefollowedalittlediscussionwhichendedintheselectionofastore-roomattheendofthepassageonthegroundfloor，onwhichoneofthelibrarydoorsopened。 \"Yousee，\"BurkeexplainedtoGilder，whenthismatterhadbeensettledtohissatisfaction，andwhileCassidyandtheotherdetectiveswereoutofthelibraryonatourofinspection，\"youmusthavethingsright，whenitcomestocatchingcrooksonaframe-uplikethis。IhadthesemencometoNumberTwenty-sixontheotherstreet，thenroundtheblockontheroofs。\" Gildernoddedappreciationwhichwasnotactuallysincere。Itseemedtohimthatsuchelaboratemanoeuveringwas，intruth，ratherabsurd。 \"Andnow，Mr。Gilder，\"theInspectorsaidenergetically，\"I\'mgoingtogiveyouthesametipIgaveyourman。Gotobed，andstaythere。\" \"Buttheboy，\"Gilderprotested。\"Whatabouthim？He\'stheonethingofimportancetome。\" \"IfhesaysanythingmoreaboutgoingtoChicago——justyoulethimgo，that\'sall!It\'sthebestplaceforhimforthenextfewdays。I\'llgetintouchwithyouinthemorningandletyouknowthenhowthingsarecomingout。\" Gildersighedresignedly。Hisheavyfacewaslinedwithanxiety。 Therewasahesitationinhismannerofspeechthatwaswhollyunlikeitsusualquickdecisiveness。 \"Idon\'tlikethissortofthing，\"hesaid，doubtfully。\"IletyougoaheadbecauseIcan\'tsuggestanyalternative，butIdon\'tlikeit，notatall。Itseemstomethatothermethodsmightbeemployedwithexcellentresultswithouttheelementoftreacherywhichseemstoinvolvemeaswellasyouinoureffortstoovercomethiswoman。\" Burke，however，hadnoqualmsastosuchplotting。 \"Youmusthavecrookedwaystocatchcrooks，believeme，\"hesaidcheerfully。\"It\'stheeasiestandquickestwayoutofthetroubleforus，andtheeasiestandquickestwayintotroubleforthem。\" Thereturnofthedetectivescausedhimtobreakoff，andhegavehisattentiontothefinalarrangementsofhismen。 \"You\'reinchargehere，\"hesaidtoCassidy，\"andIholdyouresponsible。Now，listentothis，andgetit。\"Hiscoarsevoicecamewithagratingnoteofcommand。\"I\'mcomingbacktogetthisbunchmyself，andI\'llcallyouwhenyou\'rewanted。You\'llwaitinthestore-roomoutthereanddon\'tmakeamovetillyouhearfromme，unlessbyanychancethingsgowrongandyougetacallfromGriggs。Youknowwhoheis。He\'sgotawhistle，andhe\'lluseitifnecessary……Gotthatstraight？\"And，whenCassidyhaddeclaredanentireunderstandingofthedirectionsgiven，heconcludedconcisely。\"Onyourway，then!\" Asthemenlefttheroom，heturnedagaintoGilder。 \"Justonethingmore，\"hesaid。\"I\'llhavetohaveyourhelpalittlelonger。AfterI\'vegone，Iwantyoutostayupforahalf-houranyhow，withthelightsburning。Doyousee？IwanttobesuretogivetheTurnerwomantimetogetherewhilethatgangisatwork。Yourkeepingonthelightswillholdthemback，fortheywon\'tcomeintillthehouseisdark，so，inhalfanhouryoucangetoffthejob，switchoffthelightsandgotobedandstaythere——justasItoldyoubefore。\"ThenInspectorBurke，havinginmindthegreatdistressofthemanovertheunfortunateentanglementofhisson，wasatpainstoofferareassuringword。 \"Don\'tworryabouttheboy，\"hesaid，withgravekindliness。 \"We\'llgethimoutofthisscrapeallright。\"Andwiththeassertionhebustledout，leavingtheunhappyfathertomiserableforebodings。 CHAPTERXVII。OUTSIDETHELAW。 GilderscrupulouslyfollowedthedirectionsofthePoliceInspector。Uneasily，hehadremainedinthelibraryuntiltheallottedtimewaselapsed。Hefidgetedfromplacetoplace，hismindheavywithdistressundertheshadowthatthreatenedtoblightthelifeofhischerishedson。Finally，withasenseofreliefheputoutthelightsandwenttohischamber。Buthedidnotfollowthefurtherdirectionsgivenhim，forhewasnotmindedtogotobed。Instead，hedrewthecurtainscloselytomakesurethatnogleamoflightcouldpassthem，andthensatwithacigarbetweenhislips，whichhedidnotsmoke，thoughfromtimetotimehewasatpainstolightit。Histhoughtsweremostwithhisson，andeverashethoughtofDick，hisfurywaxedagainstthewomanwhohadenmeshedtheboyinherplottingforvengeanceonhimself。Andintohisthoughtsnowcreptadoubt，onethatalarmedhissenseofjustice。Itoccurredtohimthatthiswomancouldnothavethusnourishedaplanforretributionthroughtheyearsunless，indeed，shehadbeeninsane，evenashehadclaimed——orinnocent!Theideawasappalling。Hecouldnotbeartoadmitthepossibilityofhavingbeentheinvoluntaryinflicterofsuchwrongastosendthegirltoprisonforanoffenseshehadnotcommitted。Herejectedthesuggestion，butitpersisted。Heknewtheclean，wholesomenatureofhisson。 Itseemedtohimincrediblethattheboycouldhavethusgivenhishearttoonealtogetherundeserving。AhorriblesuspicionthathehadmisjudgedMaryTurnercreptintohisbrain，andwouldnotout。Hefoughtitwithallthestrengthofhim，andthatwasmuch，buteveritabodethere。HeturnedforcomforttothethingsBurkehadsaid。Thewomanwasacrook，andtherewasanendofit。Herruseofspoliationwithinthelawwasevidenceofhershrewdness，nothingmore。 MaryTurnerherself，too，wasinaconditionutterlywretched，andforthesamecause——DickGilder。Thatsourceofthefather\'ssufferingwashersaswell。Shehadwonherambitionofyears，revengeonthemanwhohadsenthertoprison。Andnowthejoyofitwasatorture，forthepuppetofherplans，theson，hadsuddenlybecomethechiefthinginherlife。Shehadtakenitforgrantedthathewouldleaveherafterhecametoknowthathermarriagetohimwasonlyadevicetobringshameonhisfather。Instead，helovedher。Thatfactseemedthesecretofherdistress。Helovedher。More，hedaredbelieve，andtoassertboldly，thatshelovedhim。Hadheactedotherwise，thematterwouldhavebeensimpleenough……Buthelovedher，lovedherstill，thoughheknewtheshamethathadcloudedherlife，knewthemotivethathadledhertoaccepthimasahusband。 More——byasublimeaudacity，hedeclaredthatshelovedhim。 Therecameathrillinherhearteachtimeshethoughtofthat——thatshelovedhim。Theideawasmonstrous，ofcourse，andyet——Here，asalways，shebrokeoff，ahotflushblazinginhercheeks……Nevertheless，suchcuriousfanciespursuedherthroughthehours。Shestrovehermightiesttoridherselfofthem，butinvain。Evertheypersisted。Shesoughttooustthembythinkingofanyoneelse，ofAggie，ofJoe。Thereatlastwassatisfaction。HerinterferencebetweenthemanwhohadsavedherlifeandthetemptationoftheEnglishcrookhadpreventedadangerousventure，whichmighthavemeantruintotheonewhomsheesteemedforhisdevotiontoher，iffornootherreason。Atleast，shehadkepthimfromtheoutrageousfollyofanordinaryburglary。 MaryTurnerwasjustreadyforbedafterhereveningatthetheater，whenshewasrudelystartledoutofthisbelief。Anotecamebyamessengerwhowaitedfornoanswer，ashetoldtheyawningmaid。AsMaryreadtheroughlyscrawledmessage，shewascaughtinthegripofterror。Someinstinctwarnedherthatthisdangerwasevenworsethanitseemed。Themanwhohadsavedherfromdeathhadyieldedtotemptation。Evennow，hewasengagedincommittingthatcrimewhichshehadforbiddenhim。Ashehadsavedher，soshemustsavehim。Shehurriedintothegownshehadjustputoff。Thenshewenttothetelephone-bookandsearchedforthenumberofGilder\'shouse。 ***** ItwasjustafewmomentsbeforeMaryTurnerreceivedthenotefromthehandsofthesleepymaidthatoneoftheleavesoftheoctagonalwindowinthelibraryofRichardGilder\'stownhouseswungopen，underthepersuasiveinfluenceofathinrodofsteel，cunninglyused，andJoeGarsonsteppedconfidentlyintothedarkroom。 Afaintradianceofmoonlightfromwithoutshowedhimforasecondashepassedbetweentheheavydraperies。Thenthesefellintoplace，andhewasinvisible，andsoundlessaswell。Foraspace，herestedmotionless，listeningintently。Reassured，hedrewoutanelectrictorchandsetitglowing。Alittlediscoflighttouchedhereandthereabouttheroom，travelingveryswiftly，andinmethodicalcircles。Satisfiedbythesurvey，Garsoncrossedtothehalldoor。Hemovedwithalertassurance，lithelybalancedontheballsofhisfeet，noiselessly。Atthehalldoorhelistenedforanysoundoflifewithout，andfoundnone。Thedoorintothepassagethatledtothestore-roomwherethedetectiveswaitednextengagedhisbusiness-likeattention。 Andhere，again，therewasnaughttoprovokehissuspicion。 Thesepreliminariestakenasmeasuresofprecaution，Garsonwentboldlytothesmalltablethatstoodbehindthecouch，turnedthebutton，andthesoftglowofanelectriclampilluminedtheapartment。Theextinguishedtorchwasthrustbackintohispocket。Afterwardhecarriedoneoftheheavychairstothedoorofthepassageandproppeditagainstthepanelinsuchwisethatitsfallmustgivewarningastotheopeningofthedoor。Hiseveryactionwasperformedwiththemaximumofspeed，withnoleasttraceofflurryorofnervoushaste。Itwasevidentthathefollowedadefiniteprogram，thefruitofprecisethoughtguidedbyexperience。 Itseemedtohimthatnoweverythingwasinreadinessforthecomingofhisassociatesinthecommissionofthecrime。Thereremainedonlytogivethemthesignalintheroomaroundthecornerwheretheywaitedatatelephone。HeseatedhimselfinGilder\'schairatthedesk，anddrewthetelephonetohim。 \"Giveme999Bryant，\"hesaid。Histonewashardlylouderthanawhisper，butspokenwithgreatdistinctness。 Therewasalittlewait。Thenananswerinavoiceheknewcameoverthewire。 ButGarsonsaidnothingmore。Instead，hepickedupapenholderfromthetrayonthedesk，andbegantappinglightlyontherimofthetransmitter。ItwasacodemessageinMorse。Intheroomaroundthecorner，thetappingsoundedclearly，tickingoutthemessagethatthewaywasfreeforthethieves\'coming。 WhenGarsonhadmadeanendofthetelegraphing，therecameabriefanswerinlikeMorse，towhichhereturnedashortdirection。 Forafinalsafeguard，Garsonsearchedforandfoundthetelephonebell-boxonthesurbasebelowtheoctagonalwindow。Itwastheworkofonlyafewsecondstounscrewthebells，whichheplacedonthedesk。Sosimplyhemadeprovisionagainstanyalarmfromthissource。Hethentookhispistolfromhiship-pocket，examinedittomakesurethatthesilencerwasproperlyadjusted，andthenthrustitintotherightside-pocketofhiscoat，readyforinstantuseindesperateemergency。Onceagain，now，heproducedtheelectrictorch，andlighteditasheextinguishedthelamponthetable。 Forthwith，Garsonwenttothedoorintothehall，openedit，and，leavingitajar，madehiswayinsilencetotheouterdoorway。 Presently，thedoorstherewerefreedoftheirboltsunderhisskilledfingers，andoneofthemswungwide。Hehadputoutthetorchnow，lestitsgleammightcatchthegazeofsomecasualpasser-by。Sonicelyhadtheaffairbeentimedthathardlywasthedooropenbeforethethreemenslippedin，andstoodmuteandmotionlessinthehall，whileGarsonrefastenedthedoors。Then，apenciloflighttracedthelengthofthehallwayandGarsonwalkedquicklybacktothelibrary。Behindhimwithstepsasnoiselessashisowncamethethreementowhomhehadjustgiventhemessage。 Whenallweregatheredinthelibrary，Garsonshutthehalldoor，touchedthebuttoninthewallbesideit，andthechandelierthrewitsradiantlightonthegroup。 Griggswasineveningclothes，seemingaveryelegantyounggentlemanindeed，buthistwocompanionswereofgrossertype，asfarasappearanceswent:one，Dacey，thinandwiry，withaferretface；theother，ChicagoRed，abrawnyruffian，whosestolidfeaturesneverthelessexhibitedsomethingofhalf-sullengoodnature。 \"Everythingallrightsofar，\"Garsonsaidrapidly。HeturnedtoGriggsandpointedtowardtheheavyhangingsthatshroudedtheoctagonalwindow。\"Arethosethethingswewant？\"hedemanded。 \"Yes，\"wastheanswerofEnglishEddie。 \"Well，then，we\'vegottogetbusy，\"Garsonwenton。Hisalert，strongfacewassetinlinesofeagernessthathadinitsomethingoffiercenessnow。 But，beforehecouldaddadirection，hewashaltedbyasoftbuzzingfromthetelephone，which，thoughbell-less，stillgavethisfaintwarningofacall。Foraninstant，hehesitatedwhiletheothersregardedhimdoubtfully。Thesituationofferedperplexities。Togivenoattentiontothesummonsmightbeperilous，andfailuretorespondmightprovokeinvestigationinsomeurgentmatter；toansweritmighteasilyprovidealargerdanger。 \"We\'vegottotakeachance。\"Garsonspokehisdecisioncurtly。 Hewenttothedeskandputthereceivertohisear。 Therecameagainthefainttappingofsomeoneattheotherendoftheline，signalingamessageintheMorsecode。Anexpressionofblankamazement，whichgrewinaflashtodeepconcern，showedonGarson\'sfaceashelistenedtensely。 \"Why，thisisMarycalling，\"hemuttered。 \"Mary!\"Griggscried。Hisusualvacuityofexpressionwascastofflikeamaskandalarmtwistedhisfeatures。Then，inthenextinstant，acraftytriumphgleamedfromhiseyes。 \"Yes，she\'son，\"Garsoninterpreted，amomentlater，asthetappingceasedforalittle。Hetranslatedinaloudwhisperastheirregulartickingnoisesoundedagain。 \"Ishallbethereatthehousealmostatonce。Iamsendingthismessagefromthedrugstorearoundthecorner。Havesomeoneopenthedoorformeimmediately。\" \"She\'scomingover，\"Griggscriedincredulously。 \"No，I\'llstopher，\"Garsondeclaredfirmly。 \"Right!Stopher，\"ChicagoRedvouchsafed。 But，when，aftertappingafewwords，theforgerpausedforthereply，nosoundcame。 \"Shedon\'tanswer，\"heexclaimed，greatlydisconcerted。Hetriedagain，stillwithoutresult。Atthat，hehungupthereceiverwithagroan。\"She\'sgone——\" \"Onherwayalready，\"Griggssuggested，andtherewasnonetodoubtthatitwasso。 \"What\'sshecomingherefor？\"Garsonexclaimedharshly。\"Thisain\'tnoplaceforher!Why，ifanythingshouldgowrongnow——\" ButGriggsinterruptedhimwithhisusualbreezycheerfulnessofmanner。 \"Oh，nothingcangowrongnow，oldtop。I\'llletherin。\"Hedrewasmalltorchfromtheskirt-pocketofhiscoatandcrossedtothehalldoor，asGarsonnoddedassent。 \"God!Whydidshehavetocome？\"Garsonmuttered，filledwithforebodings。\"Ifanythingshouldgowrongnow!\" Heturnedbacktowardthedoorjustasitopened，andMarydartedintotheroomwithGriggsfollowing。\"Whatdoyouwanthere？\"hedemanded，withperemptorysavagenessinhisvoice，whichwasatonehehadneverhithertousedinaddressingher。 MarywentswiftlytofaceGarsonwherehestoodbythedesk，whileGriggsjoinedtheothertwomenwhostoodshufflingaboutuneasilybythefireplace，atalossoverthisintrusionontheirscheme。Marymovedwithalissomegracelikethatofsomewildcreature，butasshehaltedoppositethemanwhohadgivenherbackthelifeshewouldhavethrownaway，therewasonlytenderpleadinginhervoice，thoughherwordswereanarraignment。 \"Joe，youliedtome。\" \"Thatcanbesettledlater，\"themansnapped。Hisjawwasthrustforwardobstinately，andhiscleareyessparkleddefiantly。 \"Youarefools，allofyou!\"Marycried。Hereyesdarkenedanddistendedwithfear。TheydartedfromGarsontotheotherthreemen，andbackagaininrebuke。\"Yes，fools!Thisisburglary。I can\'tprotectyouifyouarecaught。HowcanI？Oh，come!\"SheheldoutherhandspleadinglytowardGarson，andhervoicedroppedtobeseeching。\"Joe，Joe，youmustgetawayfromthishouseatonce，allofyou。Joe，makethemgo。\" \"It\'stoolate，\"wasthesternanswer。Therewasnoleastrelaxationinthestubbornlinesofhisface。\"We\'reherenow，andwe\'llstaytillthebusinessisdone。\" Marywentastepforward。Thecloakshewaswearingwasthrownbackbyhergestureofappealsothatthosewatchingsawthesnowyslopeoftheshouldersandthequickriseandfallofthegentlycurvingbosom。Thebeautifulfacewithintheframingscarfwascolorlesswithagreatfear，saveonlythecrimsonlips，ofwhichthebowwasbenttremulouslyasshespokeherprayer。 \"Joe，formysake!\" Butthemanwasinexorable。Hehadsethimselftothisthing，andeventheurgingoftheonepersonintheworldforwhomhemostcaredwaspowerlessagainsthisresolve。 \"Ican\'tquitnowuntilwe\'vegotwhatwecamehereafter，\"hedeclaredroughly。 Ofasudden，thegirlmadeshifttoemployanothersortofsupplication。 \"Buttherearereasons，\"shesaid，faltering。Acertainembarrassmentswepther，andtheivoryofhercheeksbloomedrosily。\"I——Ican\'thaveyourobthishouse，thisparticularhouseofalltheworld。\"Hereyesleapedfromthestillobduratefaceoftheforgertothegroupofthreebackofhim。Hervoicewasshakenwithagreatdreadasshecalledouttothem。 \"Boys，let\'sgetaway!Please，oh，please!Joe，forGod\'ssake!\" Hertonewasasob。 HeranguishoffeardidnotswerveGarsonfromhispurpose。 \"I\'mgoingtoseethisthrough，\"hesaid，doggedly。 \"But，Joe——\" \"It\'ssettled，Itellyou。\" Intheman\'semphasisthegirlrealizedatlasttheinefficacyofhereffortstocombathiswill。Sheseemedtodroopvisiblybeforetheireyes。Herheadsankonherbreast。Hervoicewashuskyasshetriedtospeak。 \"Then——\"Shebrokeoffwithagestureofdespair，andturnedawaytowardthedoorbywhichshehadentered。 But，withamovementofgreatswiftness，Garsongotinfrontofher，andbarredhergoing。Forafewsecondsthetwostaredateachothersearchinglyasiflearningnewandstrangethings，eachoftheother。Inthegirl\'sexpressionwasanoutragedwonderandagreatterror。Intheman\'swasahalf-shamedpride，asifheexultedinthestrengthwithwhichhehadbeenabletomaintainhiswillagainsthersupremeefforttooverthrowit。 \"Youcan\'tgo，\"Garsonsaidsharply。\"Youmightbecaught。\" \"AndifIwere，\"Marydemandedinaflashofindignation，\"doyouthinkI\'dtell？\" Therecameanabruptchangeinthehardfaceoftheman。Intothepiercingeyesflamedasofterfireoftenderness。Thefirmmouthgrewstrangelygentleashereplied，andhisvoicewasovertonedwithfaith。 \"Ofcoursenot，Mary，\"hesaid。\"Iknowyou。Youwouldgoupforlifefirst。\" Thenagainhisexpressionbecameresolute，andhespokeimperiously。 \"Justthesame，youcan\'ttakeanychances。We\'llallgetawayinaminute，andyou\'llcomewithus。\"Heturnedtothemenandspokewithswiftauthority。 \"Come，\"hesaidtoDacey，\"yougettothelightswitchtherebythehalldoor。Ifyouhearmesnapmyfingers，turn\'emoff。 Understand？\" Withinstantobedience，themanaddressedwenttohisstationbythehalldoor，andstoodreadytocontroltheelectriccurrent。 Thedistractedgirlessayedonelastplea。ThemomentarysofteningofGarsonhadgivenhernewcourage。 \"Joe，don\'tdothis。\" \"Youcan\'tstopitnow，Mary，\"camethebriskretort。\"Toolate。 You\'reonlywastingtime，makingitdangerousforallofus。\" Againhegavehisattentiontocarryingontherobbery。 \"Red，\"heordered，\"yougettothatdoor。\"Hepointedtotheonethatgaveonthepassagewayagainstwhichhehadsetthechairtilted。Asthemanobeyed，Garsongavefurtherinstructions。 \"Ifanyonecomesinthatway，gethimandgethimquick。Youunderstand？Don\'tlethimcryout。\" ChicagoRedgrinnedwithcheerfulacceptanceoftheissueinsuchanencounter。Hehelduphishugehand，widelyopen。 \"Notachance，\"hedeclared，proudly，\"withthatoverhismug。\" Toavoidpossibleinterruptionofhismovementsinanemergency，heremovedthechairGarsonhadplacedandsetittooneside，outoftheway。 \"Now，let\'sgettowork，\"Garsoncontinuedeagerly。Maryspokewiththebitternessofdefeat。 \"Listen，Joe!Ifyoudothis，I\'mthroughwithyou。Iquit。\" Garsonwasundismayedbythethreat。 \"Ifthisgoesthrough，\"hecountered，\"we\'llallquit。That\'swhyI\'mdoingit。I\'msickofthegame。\" Heturnedtotheworkinhandwithincreasedenergy。 \"Come，you，GriggsandRed，andpushthatdeskdownabitsothatIcanstandonit。\"Thetwomenbenttothetask，heedlessofMary\'sfranticprotest。 \"No!no!no!no!no，Joe!\"