第6章
But，withoutwarning，arevulsionseizedonthegirl。Ofasudden，sheshrankagain，andturnedherheadaway，andherbodytrembled。
"Ican"ttakeit，"shestammered。"Ican"t!Ican"t!"
Marystoodsilentforamomentfromsheeramazementoverthechange。Whenshespoke，hervoicehadhardenedalittle。Itisnotagreeabletohaveone"sbeneficenceflouted。
"Didn"tyoucomehereforhelp？"shedemanded。
"Yes，"wasthefalteringreply，"but——but——Ididn"tknow——itwasyou!"Thewordscamewitharushofdesperation。
"Then，youhavemetmebefore？"Marysaid，quietly。
"No，no!"Thegirl"svoiceroseshrill。
Aggiespokehermindwithcommendablefrankness。
"She"slying。"
And，onceagain，Garsonagreed。Hisyeswasspokeninatoneofcompletecertainty。ThatMary，too，wasoftheiropinionwasshowninhernextwords。
"So，youhavemetmebefore？Where？"
Thegirlunwittinglymadeconfessioninherhaltingwords。
"I——Ican"ttellyou。"Therewasdespairinhervoice。
"Youmust。"Maryspokewithseverity。Shefeltthatthismysteryheldinitsomethingsinistertoherself。"Youmust，"sherepeatedimperiously。
Thegirlonlycrouchedlower。
"Ican"t!"shecriedagain。Shewaspantingasifinexhaustion。
"Whycan"tyou？"Maryinsisted。Shehadnosympathynowforthegirl"sdistress，merelyagreatsuspiciouscuriosity。
"Because——because——"Thegirlcouldnotgoon。
Mary"susualshrewdnesscametoheraid，andsheputhernextquestioninadifferentdirection。
"Whatwereyousentupfor？"sheaskedbriskly。"Tellme。"
ItwasGarsonwhobrokethesilencethatfollowed。
"Comeon，now!"heordered。Therewasasavagenoteinhisvoiceunderwhichthegirlvisiblywinced。Marymadeagesturetowardhimthatheshouldnotinterfere。Nevertheless，theman"scommandhadinitathreatwhichthegirlcouldnotresistandsheanswered，thoughwithareluctancethatmadethewordsseemdraggedfromherbysomeoutsideforce——asindeedtheywere。
"Forstealing。"
"Stealingwhat？"Marysaid。
"Goods。"
"Wherefrom？"
Areplycameinabreathsolowthatitwasbarelyaudible。
"TheEmporium。"
Inaflashofintuition，thewholetruthwasrevealedtothewomanwhostoodlookingdownatthecoweringcreaturebeforeher。
"TheEmporium!"sherepeated。Therewasatragedyinthesingleword。Hervoicegrewcoldwithhate，thehatebornofinnocencelongtortured。"Thenyouaretheonewho——"
Theaccusationwascutshortbythegirl"sshriek。
"Iamnot!Iamnot，Itellyou。"
Foramoment，Marylostherpoise。Hervoiceroseinaflareofrage。
"Youare!Youare!"
Thecravenspiritofthegirlcouldstrugglenomore。Shecouldonlysitinahuddled，shakingheapofdread。Thewomanbeforeherhadbeendisciplinedbysorrowtosternestself-control。
Thoughrackedbyemotionsmostintolerable，Marysoonmasteredtheirexpressiontosuchanextentthatwhenshespokeagain，asifinself-communion，herwordscamequietly，yetwithovertonesofasupremewo。
"Shedidit!"Then，afteralittle，sheaddressedthegirlwithacertainwonderingbeforethismysteryofhorror。"Whydidyouthrowtheblameonme？"
Thegirlmadeseveraleffortsbeforehermumblingbecameintelligible，andthenherspeechwasgasping，brokenwithfear。
"Ifoundouttheywerewatchingme，andIwasafraidtheywouldcatchme。So，Itookthemandranintothecloak-room，andputtheminalockerthatwasn"tclosetomine，andsomeinthepocketofacoatthatwashangingthere。GodknowsIdidn"tknowwhoseitwas。Ijustputthemthere——Iwasfrightened——"
"Andyouletmegotoprisonforthreeyears!"TherewasamenaceinMary"svoiceunderwhichthegirlcringedagain。
"Iwasscared，"shewhined。"Ididn"tdaretotell。"
"Buttheycaughtyoulater，"Marywentoninexorably。"Whydidn"tyoutellthen？"
"Iwasafraid，"cametheanswerfromtheshudderinggirl。"I
toldthemitwasthefirsttimeIhadtakenanythingandtheyletmeoffwithayear。"
Oncemore，thewrathofthevictimflamedhigh。
"You!"Marycried。"Youcriedandlied，andtheyletyouoffwithayear。Iwouldn"tcry。Itoldthetruth——and——"Hervoicebrokeinatearlesssob。Thecolorhadgoneoutofherface，andshestoodrigid，lookingdownatthegirlwhosecrimehadruinedherlifewithanexpressionofinfiniteloathinginhereyes。Garsonrosefromhischairasiftogotoher，andhisfacepassedswiftlyfromcompassiontoferocityashisgazewentfromthewomanhehadsavedfromtherivertothegirlwhohadbeenthefirstcauseofherseekingagraveinthewaters。Yet，thoughhelongedwitheveryfiberofhimtocomfortthestrickenwoman，hedidnotdareintrudeuponherinthistimeofheranguish，butquietlydroppedbackintohisseatandsatwatchingwitheyesnowtender，nowbaleful，astheyshiftedtheirdirection。
Aggietookadvantageofthepause。Hervoicewasacid。
"Somepeoplearesneaks——justsneaks!"
Somehow，thespeechwaswelcometothegirl，gaveheratouchofcouragesufficientforcowardlyprotestations。Itseemedtorelievethetensiondrawnbytheotherwoman"storment。Itwasmoreliketheabusethatwasfamiliartoher。Agushoftearscame。
"I"llneverforgivemyself，never!"shemoaned。
ContemptmountedinMary"sbreast。
"Oh，yes，youwill，"shesaid，malevolently。"Peopleforgivethemselvesprettyeasily。"Thecontemptcheckedforalittletheravagesofhergrief。"Stopcrying，"shecommandedharshly。
"Nobodyisgoingtohurtyou。"Shethrustthemoneyagaintowardthegirl，andcrowdeditintothehalf-reluctant，half-greedyhand。
"Takeit，andgetout。"Thecontemptinhervoicerangstillsharper，mordant。
EventhepulingcreaturewrithedunderthelashofMary"stones。
Shesprangup，slinkingbackastep。
"Ican"ttakeit!"shecried，whimpering。Butshedidnotdropthemoney。
"Takethechancewhileyouhaveit，"Marycounseled，stillwiththecontemptthatpiercedeventhehardenedgirl"ssenseofselfishness。Shepointedtowardthedoor。"Go!——beforeIchangemymind。"
Thegirlneeded，indeed，nosecondbidding。Withthemoneystillclutchedinherhand，shewentforthswiftly，stumblingalittleinherhaste，fearfullest，atthelastmoment，thewomanshehadsowrongedshouldinfactchangeinmood，takebackthemoney——ay，evengiveherovertothatterriblemanwiththeeyesofhate，toputhertodeathasshedeserved。
Freedfromthemiasmaofthatpresence，Maryremainedmotionlessforalongminute，thensighedfromhertorturedheart。Sheturnedandwentslowlytoherchairatthedesk，andseatedherselflanguidly，weakenedbytheordealthroughwhichshehadpassed。
"AgirlIdidn"tknow!"shesaid，bewilderedly；"perhapshadneverspokento——whosmashedmylifelikethat!Oh，ifitwasn"tsoawful，itwouldbe——funny!Itwouldbefunny!"Agustofhystericallaughterburstfromher。"Why，itisfunny!"shecried，wildly。"Itisfunny!"
"Mary!"Garsonexclaimedsharply。Heleapedacrosstheroomtofaceher。"That"snogood!"hesaidseverely。
Aggie，too，rushedforward。
"Nogoodatall!"shedeclaredloudly。
Theinterferencerecalledthedistressedwomantoherself。Shemadeadesperateeffortforself-command。Littlebylittle，theunmeaninglookdieddown，andpresentlyshesatsilentandmoveless，staringatthetwowithstormyeyesoutofawanface。
"Youwereright，"shesaidatlast，inalifelessvoice。"It"sdone，andcan"tbeundone。Iwasafooltoletitaffectmelikethat。IreallythoughtIhadlostallfeelingaboutit，butthesightofthatgirl——theknowledgethatshehaddoneit——broughtitallbacktome。Well，youunderstand，don"tyou？"
"Weunderstand，"Garsonsaid，grimly。Buttherewasmorethangrimness，infinitelymore，intheexpressionofhisclear，glowingeyes。
Aggiethoughtthatitwasherturntovoiceherself，whichshedidwithoutunduerestraint。
"Perhaps，wedo，butIdunno!I"lltellyouonething，though。
Ifanydamesentmeupforthreeyearsandthenwantedmoneyfromme，doyouthinkshe"dgetit？Wakemeupanytimeinthenightandaskme。Notmuch——notalittlebitmuch!I"dhangontoitlikeanoldwomantoherlasttooth。"AndthatwasAggie"sfinalsummingupofherimpressionsconcerningthesceneshehadjustwitnessed。
CHAPTERXII。ABRIDEGROOMSPURNED。
AfterAggie"svigorouscommenttherefollowedalongsilence。
Thatvolatileyoungperson，littletroubledasshewasbysensitiveness，guessedthefactthatjustnowfurtherdiscussionoftheeventwouldbedistastefultoMary，andsoshebetookherselfdiscreetlytoacigaretteandtheillustrationsofapopularmagazinedevotedtothestage。Asfortheman，hisreticencewasreallyfromafearlestinspeakingatallhemightspeaktoofreely，mightbetraythepervasiveviolenceofhisfeeling。So，hesatmotionlessandwordless，hiseyescarefullyavoidingMaryinorderthatshemightnotbedisturbedbytheinvisiblevibrationsthussentfromonetoanother。Maryherselfwasshakentothedepths。Agreatweariness，awearinessthatcriedtheworthlessnessofallthings，hadfallenuponher。Itrestedleadenonhersoul。Itweigheddownherbodyaswell，thoughthatmatteredlittleindeed。Yet，sinceshecouldministertothatreadily，sheroseandwenttoasetteeontheoppositesideoftheroomwhereshearrangedherselfamongthecushionsinaposturemoreluxuriousthanherratherpreciseearlytrainingusuallypermittedhertoassumeinthepresenceofothers。Theresherested，andsoonfeltthetidesofenergyagainflowinginherblood，andthatsamevitality，too，wroughthealingevenforheragonizedsoul，thoughmoreslowly。Theperfecthealthofhergaveherstrengthtorecoverspeedilyfromtheshockshehadsustained。Itwasthishealththatmadethegloryoftheflawlessskin，whitewithalivingwhitethatrevealedthecoursingbloodbeneath，andthecrimsonlipsthatbentinsmilessotender，orsowistful，andthelimpideyesinwhichalwayslurkedfiresthatsometimesburstintoflame，thelustrousmassofundulatinghairthatsparkledinthesunlightlikeanaureoletoherfaceorframeditinheavysplendorswithitsshadows，andthesuppleerectnessofhergracefulcarriage，thelithedignityofhereverymovement。
But，atlast，shestirreduneasilyandsatup。Garsonacceptedthisasasufficientwarrantforspeech。
"Youknow——Aggietoldyou——thatCassidywasupherefromHeadquarters。Hedidn"tputanametoit，butI"mon。"Maryregardedhiminquiringly，andhecontinued，puttingthefactwithacertainbrutalbluntnessafterthehabitofhisclass。"I
guessyou"llhavetoquitseeingyoungGilder。Thebullsarewise。Hisfatherhasmadeaholler。
"Don"tletthatworryyou，Joe，"shesaidtranquilly。Sheallowedafewsecondsgoby，thenaddedasifquiteindifferent:"IwasmarriedtoDickGilderthismorning。"TherecameasquealofamazementfromAggie，astartofincredulityfromGarson。
"Yes，"Maryrepeatedevenly，"Iwasmarriedtohimthismorning。
Thatwasmyimportantengagement，"sheaddedwithasmiletowardAggie。Forsomeintuitivereason，mysterioustoherself，shedidnotcaretomeettheman"seyesatthatmoment。
Aggiesaterect，herbabyfacealivewithworldlyglee。
"MyGawd，whatluck!"sheexclaimednoisily。"Why，he"sakingfish，heis。Gee!ButI"mgladyoulandedhim!"
"Thankyou，"Marysaidwithasmilethatwastheresultofhersenseofhumorratherthanfromanytenderness。
ItwasthenthatGarsonspoke。Hewasadelicatemaninhissensibilitiesattimes，inspiteofthefactthathefolloweddeviousmethodsinhismannerofgainingalivelihood。So，now，heputaquestionofvitalsignificance。
"Doyoulovehim？"
ThequestioncaughtMaryallunprepared，butsheretainedherself-controlsufficientlytomakeheranswerinavoicethattotheordinaryearwouldhaverevealednoleasttremor。
"No，"shesaid。Sheofferednoexplanation，noexcuse，merelystatedthefactinallitsfinality。
Aggiewasreallyshocked，thoughforareasonaltogethersordid，notonewhitromantic。
"Ain"theyoung？"shedemandedaggressively。"Ain"thegood-looking，andloosewithhismoneysomethingscandalous？IfImetupwithafellowasliberalashim，ifhewasthreetimeshisage，Icouldsimplyadorehim!"
ItwasGarsonwhopressedthetopicwithaninexorablecuriositybornofhisunselfishinterestinthewomanconcerned。
"Then，whydidyoumarryhim？"heasked。Thesincerityofhimwasexcuseenoughfortheseemingindelicacyofthequestion。
Besides，hefelthimselfsomehowresponsible。Hehadgivenbacktoherthegiftoflife，whichshehadrejected。Surely，hehadtherighttoknowthetruth。
ItseemedthatMarybelievedherconfidencehisdue，forshetoldhimthefact。
"Ihavebeenworkingandschemingfornearlyayeartodoit，"
shesaid，withahardeningofherfacethatspokeofindomitableresolve。"Now，it"sdone。"Avindictivegleamshotfromhervioleteyesassheadded:"It"sonlythebeginning，too。"
Garson，withthekeenperspicacitythathadmadehimasuccessfulcriminalwithoutasingleconvictiontomarhisrecord，hadseizedtheimplicationinherstatement，andnowputitinwords。
"Then，youwon"tleaveus？We"regoingonaswewerebefore？"
Thehintofdejectioninhismannerhadvanished。"Andyouwon"tlivewithhim？"
"Livewithhim？"Maryexclaimedemphatically。"Certainlynot!"
Aggie"sneatlyroundedjawdroppedinagapeofsurprisethatwasmostunladylike。
"Youaregoingtoliveoninthisjointwithus？"shequestioned，aghast。
"Ofcourse。"Thereplywasgivenwiththeutmostofcertainty。
Aggiepresentedthecruxofthematter。
"Wherewillhubbylive？"
Therewasnolesseningofthebride"scomposureasshereplied，withalittleshrug。
"Anywherebuthere。"
Aggiesuddenlygiggled。Tohersenseofhumortherewassomethingvastlydivertinginthisnewschemeofgivingblisstoafondhusband。
"Anywherebuthere，"sherepeatedgaily。"Oh，won"tthatbenice——forhim？Oh，yes!Oh，quiteso!Oh，yes，indeed——quiteso——so!"
Garson，however，wasstillpatientinhisdeterminationtoapprehendjustwhathadcometopass。
"Doesheunderstandthearrangement？"washisquestion。
"No，notyet，"Maryadmitted，withoutsignofembarrassment。
"Well，"Aggiesaid，withanothergiggle，"whenyoudogetaroundtotellhim，breakittohimgently。"
Garsonwasintentlyconsideringanotherphaseofthesituation，onesuggestedperhapsoutofhisowndeepersentiments。
"Hemustthinkalotofyou!"hesaid，gravely。"Don"the？"
Forthefirsttime，Marywasmovedtothedisplayofaslightconfusion。Shehesitatedalittlebeforeheranswer，andwhenshespokeitwasinalowerkey，alittlemoreslowly。
"I——Isupposeso。"
Aggiepresentedthetruthmoresubtlythancouldhavebeenexpectedfromher。
"Thinkalotofyou？Ofcoursehedoes!Thinksenoughtomarryyou!Andbelieveme，kid，whenamanthinksenoughofyoutomarryyou，well，that"ssomethinking!"
Somehow，thecrudeexpressionofthisprofessionaladventuresspenetratedtoMary"sconscience，thoughitheldinitthetruthtowhichherconscienceborewitness，towhichshehadtriedtoshutherears……Andnowfromthemancamesomethinglikeadraughtofelixirtoherconscience——likethetrumpofdoomtoherschemeofvengeance。
Garsonspokeverysoftly，butwithanintensitythatleftnodoubtastothehonestyofhispurpose。
"I"dsay，throwupthewholegameandgotohim，ifyoureallycare。"
Therefellatensesilence。ItwasbrokenbyMaryherself。Shespokewithatouchofhaste，asifbattlingagainstsomehindrancewithin。
"Imarriedhimtogetevenwithhisfather，"shesaid。"That"sallthereistoit……Bytheway，IexpectDickwillbehereinaminuteortwo。Whenhecomes，justremembernotto——enlightenhim。"
Aggiesniffedindignantly。
"Don"tworryaboutme，notamite。Wheneverit"sreallywanted，I"malwaystherewithafulllineofthatladystuff。"
Thereupon，shesprangup，andproceededtogiveherconceptionoftheproperwelcomingofthehappybridegroom。Theperformancewasamusingenoughinitself，butforsomereasonitmovedneitherofthetwoforwhomitwasrenderedtomorethanperfunctoryapproval。Thefacthadnodepressingeffectontheperformer，however，anditwasonlythecomingofthemaidthatputherlivelysalliestoanend。
"Mr。Gilder，"Fannieannounced。
MaryputaquestionwithsomuchofenergythatGarsonbeganfinallytounderstandthedepthofhervindictivefeeling。
"Anyonewithhim？"
"No，MissTurner，"themaidanswered。
"Havehimcomein，"Maryordered。
Garsonfeltthathewouldbebetterawayforthesakeofthenewlymarriedpairatleast，ifnotforhisown。Hemadehastyexcusesandwentoutontheheelsofthemaid。Aggie，however，consultingonlyherownwishesinthematter，hadnothoughtofflight，and，ifthetruthbetold，Marywasgladofthesustainingpresenceofanotherwoman。
Shegotupslowly，andstoodsilent，whileAggieregardedhercuriously。Eventotheinsensitiveobserver，therewassomethingstrangeintheatmosphere……Amomentlaterthebridegroomentered。
Hewasstillclean-cutandwholesome。Somesonsofwealthyfathersarenot，afterfouryearsexperienceofthewhitelightsoftown。Andthelinesofhisfacewerefirmer，betterineveryway。Itseemed，indeed，thatherewassomeoneofaresolutecharacter，nottobewastedonthetrivialandgrossthings。Inaninstant，hehadgonetoher，hadcaughtherinhisarmswith，"Hello，dear!"smotheredinthekissheimplantedonherlips。
Marystrovevainlytofreeherself。
"Don"t，oh，don"t!"shegasped。
DickGilderreleasedhiswifefromhisarmsandsmiledthebeatificsmileofthenewly-wed。
"Whynot？"hedemanded，withasmile，asmilecalm，triumphant，masterful。
"Agnes!"……ItwasthesolepretexttowhichMarycouldturnforamomentaryrelief。
Thebridegroomfacedabout，andperceivedAgnes，whostoodcloselywatchingthemeetingbetweenhusbandandwife。Hemadeanexcellentformalbowofthesortthatonelearnsonlyabroad，andspokequietly。
"Ibegyourpardon，MissLynch，but"——asmileofperfecthappinessshoneonhisface——"youcouldhardlyexpectmetoseeanyonebutMaryunderthecircumstances。Couldyou？"
Aggiestrovetorisetothisemergency，andagaintookonherbestmanner，speakingrathercoldly。
"Underwhatcircumstances？"sheinquired。
Theyoungmanexclaimedjoyously。
"Why，weweremarriedthismorning。"
Aggieacceptedthenewswithfittingexcitement。
"Goodnessgracious!Howperfectlylovely!"
Thebridegroomregardedherwithafacethatwasluminousofdelight。
"Youbet，it"slovely!"hedeclaredwithentireconviction。HeturnedtoMary，hisfaceglowingwithsatisfaction。
"Mary，"hesaid，"Ihavethehoneymoontripallfixed。TheMauretaniasailsatfiveinthemorning，sowewill——"
Acoldvoicestrucksuddenlythroughthisrhapsodizing。Itwasthatofthebride。
"Whereisyourfather？"sheasked，withoutanytraceofemotion。
Thebridegroomstoppedshort，andadeepblushspreaditselfoverhisboyishface。Histonewasfilledfulltooverflowingwithcompunctionasheanswered。
"Oh，Lord!IhadforgottenallaboutDad。"HebeamedonMarywithasmilehalf-ashamed，half-happy。"I"mawfullysorry，"hesaidearnestly。"I"lltellyouwhatwe"lldo。We"llsendDadawirelessfromtheship，thenwritehimfromParis。"
ButtheconfidenttonebroughtnoresponseofagreementfromMary。Onthecontrary，hervoicewas，ifanything，evencolderassherepliedtohissuggestion。Shespokewithanemphasisthatbrookednoevasion。
"Whatwasyourpromise？ItoldyouthatIwouldn"tgowithyouuntilyouhadbroughtyourfathertome，andhehadwishedushappiness。"Dickplacedhishandsgentlyonhiswife"sshouldersandregardedherwithatouchofindignationinhisgaze。
"Mary，"hesaidreproachfully，"youarenotgoingtoholdmetothatpromise？"
Theanswerwasgivenwithadecisivenessthatadmittedofnoquestion，andtherewasahardnessinherfacethatemphasizedthewords。
"Iamgoingtoholdyoutothatpromise，Dick。"
Forafewseconds，theyoungmanstaredatherwithtroubledeyes。Thenhemovedimpatiently，anddroppedhishandsfromhershoulders。Buthisusualcheerysmilecameagain，andheshruggedresignedly。
"Allright，Mrs。Gilder，"hesaid，gaily。Thesoundofthenameprovokedhimtonewpleasure。"Soundsfine，doesn"tit？"hedemanded，withanuxoriousair。
"Yes，"Marysaid，buttherewasnoenthusiasminhertone。
Thehusbandwentonspeakingwithnoapparentheedofhiswife"sindifference。
"Youpackupwhatthingsyouneed，girlie，"hedirected。"Justafew——becausetheysellclothesinParis。Andtheyaresomeclass，believeme!Andmeantime，I"llrundowntoDad"soffice，andhavehimbackhereinhalfanhour。Youwillbeallready，won"tyou？"
Maryansweredquickly，withalittlecatchingofherbreath，butstillcoldly。
"Yes，yes，I"llbeready。Goandbringyourfather。"
"YoubetIwill，"Dickcriedheartily。Hewouldhavetakenherinhisarmsagain，butsheevadedthecaress。"What"sthematter？"hedemanded，plainlyatalosstounderstandthisrepulse。
"Nothing!"wastheambiguousanswer。
"Justone!"Dickpleaded。
"No，"thebridereplied，andtherewasdeterminationinthemonosyllable。
ItwasevidentthatDickperceivedthefutilityofargument。
"Foramarriedwomanyoucertainlyareshy，"hereplied，withaslyglancetowardAggie，whobeamedbacksympathy。"You"llexcuseme，won"tyou，MissLynch，……Good-by，Mrs。Gilder。"Hemadeaformalbowtohiswife。Ashehurriedtothedoor，heexpressedagainhisadmirationforthename。"Mrs。Gilder!
Doesn"tthatsoundimmense？"Andwiththathewasgone。
Therewassilenceinthedrawing-roomuntilthetwowomenheardtheclosingoftheouterdooroftheapartment。Then，atlast，Aggierelievedherpent-upemotionsinahugesighthatwasnearagroan。
"OhGawd!"shegasped。"Thepoorsimp!"
CHAPTERXIII。THEADVENTOFGRIGGS。
Lateron，Garson，learningfromthemaidthatDickGilderhadleft，returned，justasMarywasglancingovertherelease，withwhichGeneralHastingswastobecompensated，alongwiththereturnofhisletters，forhispaymentoftenthousanddollarstoMissAgnesLynch。
"Hello，Joe，"Marysaidgraciouslyastheforgerentered。ThenshespokecrisplytoAgnes。"Andnowyoumustgetready。YouaretobeatHarris"sofficewiththisdocumentatfouro"clock，andrememberthatyouaretoletthelawyermanageeverything。"
Aggietwistedherdoll-likefaceintoagrimace。
"ItgetsmyangorathatI"llhavetomissPaGilder"sbeingledlikealambtotheslaughter-house。"AndthatwasthenearestthelittleadventuressevercametomakingaBiblicalquotation。
"Anyhow，"sheprotested，"Idon"tseetheuseofallthismonkeybusinesshere。AllIwantisthecoin。"Butshehurriedobediently，nevertheless，togetreadyforthestart。
GarsonregardedMaryquizzically。
"It"sluckyforherthatshemetyou，"hesaid。"She"sgotnomorebrainsthanagnat。"
"Andbrainsaremightyusefulthings，eveninourbusiness，"Maryrepliedseriously；"particularlyinourbusiness。"
"Ishouldsaytheywere，"Garsonagreed。"Youhaveprovedthat。"
Aggiecameback，puttingonhergloves，andcockinghersmallheadveryprimlyundertheenormoushatthatwasgarnishedwithcostliestplumes。Itwasthusthatsheconsoledherselfinameasureforthebusinessoftheoccasion——inlieuofcrackedicefromTiffany"satonehundredandfiftyacarat。Marygaveovertherelease，andAggie，stillgrumbling，depositeditinherhandbag。
"Itseemstomewe"regoingthroughalotofredtape，"shesaidspitefully。
Mary，fromherchairatthedesk，regardedthemalcontentwithasmile，buthertonewascrispassheanswered。
"Listen，Agnes。Thelasttimeyoutriedtomakeamangiveuppartofhismoneyitresultedinyourgoingtoprisonfortwoyears。"
Aggiesniffed，asifsuchanoutcomewerethemerestbagatelle。
"Butthatwaywassoexciting，"sheurged，notatallconvinced。
"Andthiswayissosafe，"Maryrejoined，sharply。"Besides，mydear，youwouldnotgetthemoney。Mywaywill。Yourwaywasblackmail；mineisnot。Understand？"
"Oh，sure，"Aggiereplied，grimly，onherwaytothedoor。"It"sclearasPittsburgh。"Withthatsarcasmdirectedagainstlegalsubtleties，shetrippeddaintilyout，anentirelyravishingvision，ifsomewhatgarishastoraiment，andsoonintheglancesofadmirationthateverymancastonherguileless-seemingbeauty，sheforgotthatshehadeverbeenannoyed。
Garson"scommentasshedepartedwasutteredwithhisaccustomedbluntness。
"Solidivory!"
"She"sadarling，anyway!"Marydeclared，smiling。"Youreallydon"thalf-appreciateher，Joe!"
"Anyhow，Iappreciatethathat，"wasthereply，withadrychuckle。
"Mr。Griggs，"Fannieannounced。Therewasasmileonthefaceofthemaid，whichwasexplainedaminutelaterwhen，inaccordancewithhermistress"sorder，thevisitorwasshownintothedrawing-room，forhispresencewasofanelegancesoextraordinaryastoattractattentionanywhere——andmirthaswellfromribaldobservers。
Meantime，GarsonhadexplainedtoMary。
"It"sEnglishEddie——youmethimonce。Iwonderwhathewants？
Probablygotatrickforme。Weoftenusedtoworktogether。"
"Nothingwithoutmyconsent，"Marywarned。
"Oh，no，no，surenot!"Garsonagreed。
FurtherdiscussionwascutshortbytheappearanceofEnglishEddiehimself，atall，handsomemanintheearlythirties，whopausedjustwithinthedoorway，anddeliveredtoMaryabowthatwastheperfectionofelegance。MarymadenoefforttorestrainthesmilecausedbythecostumeofMr。Griggs。Yet，therewasnoviolationofthecanonsofgoodtaste，exceptintheaggregate。
Fromspatstohat，fromwalkingcoattogloves，everythingwasperfectofitskind。Only，therewasanover-elaboration，sothattheensemblewasflamboyant。Andtheman"smannerspreciselyharmonizedwithhisclothes，wherebythewholeeffectwasemphasizedandrenderedbizarre。Garsontookoneamazedlook，andthenrockedwithlaughter。
Griggsregardedhisformerassociatereproachfullyforamoment，andthengrinnedinfranksympathy。
"Really，Mr。Griggs，youquiteovercomeme，"Marysaid，half-apologetically。
Thevisitorcastaself-satisfiedglanceoverhisgarb。
"Ithinkit"sratherneat，myself。"Hehadsomereputationintheunder-worldforhismannerofdressing，andheregardedthislatestachievementashismasterpiece。
"Suresomeduds!"Garsonadmitted，checkinghismerriment。
"Fromyourcostume，"Marysuggested，"onemightjudgethatthisispurelyasocialcall。Isit？"
"Well，notexactly，"Griggsansweredwithasmile。
"SoIfancied，"hishostessreplied。"So，sitdown，please，andtellusallaboutit。"
Whileshewasspeaking，Garsonwenttothevariousdoors，andmadesurethatallwereshut，thenhetookaseatinachairnearthatwhichGriggsoccupiedbythedesk，sothatthethreewereclosetogether，andcouldspeaksoftly。
EnglishEddiewastednotimeingettingtothepoint。
"Now，lookhere，"hesaid，rapidly。"I"vegotthegreatestgameintheworld……Twoyearsago，asetofGothictapestries，worththreehundredthousanddollarsandasetofFragonardpanels，worthnearlyasmuchmore，werepluckedfromachateauinFranceandsmuggledintothiscountry。"
"Ihaveneverheardofthat，"Marysaid，withsomeinterest。
"No，"Griggsreplied。"Younaturallywouldn"t，forthesimplereasonthatit"sbeenkeptonthedeadquiet。"
"Arethemthingsreallyworththatmuch？"Garsonexclaimed。
"Sometimesmore，"Maryanswered。"MorganhasasetofGothictapestriesworthhalfamilliondollars。"
Garsonutteredanejaculationofdisgust。
"Hepayshalfamilliondollarsforasetofrugs!"Therewasanoteoffiercestbitternesscomeintohisvoiceashesarcasticallyconcluded:"Andtheywonderatcrime!"
Griggswentonwithhisaccount。
"Aboutamonthago，thethingsIwastellingyouofwerehunginthelibraryofamillionaireinthiscity。"Hehitchedhischairalittleclosertothedesk，andleanedforward，loweringhisvoicealmosttoawhisperashestatedhisplan。
"Let"sgoafterthem。Theyweresmuggled，mindyou，andnomatterwhathappens，hecan"tsqueal。Whatdoyousay？"
GarsonshotapiercingglanceatMary。
"It"suptoher，"hesaid。GriggsregardedMaryeagerly，asshesatwitheyesdowncast。Then，afteralittleintervalhadelapsedinsilence，hespokeinterrogatively:
"Well？"
Maryshookherheaddecisively。"It"soutofourline，"shedeclared。