第2章

"Speaktohim，NOW！"exclaimedthedistrictattorney。’You’vegottowaittillyourmancomesup。Ifyouspeaktothejudge，NOW——"

ThevoiceofAndrewsfadedawayinhorror。

Notknowinginwhatwayhehadoffended，butconvincedthatitwasonlybythegraceofAndrewshehadescapedadungeon，Mr。

Thorndikeretreatedtohisarm—chair。

Theclockonthewallshowedhimthat，already，hehadgiventoyoungSpearonehourandaquarter。Theideawaspreposterous。Noonebetterthanhimselfknewwhathistimewasreallyworth。Inhalfanhourtherewasaboardmeeting;later，hewastoholdapostmortemonarailroad;ateverymomentquestionswerebeingaskedbytelegraph，bycable，questionsthatinvolvedthecreditofindividuals，offirms，ofeventhecountry。Andtheonemanwhocouldanswerthemwasriskinguntoldsumsonlythathemightsayagoodwordforanidleapprentice。Insidetherailedenclosurealawyerwasreadingatypewrittenspeech。Heassuredhishonorthathemusthavemoretimetopreparehiscase。Itwasoneofimmenseimportance。Thenameofamostrespectablebusinesshousewasinvolved，andasumofnolessthanninehundreddollars。Ninehundreddollars！ThecontraststruckMr。Thorndike’ssenseofhumorfullinthecentre。Unknowingly，helaughed，andfoundhimselfasconspicuousasthoughhehadappearedsuddenlyinhisnight—clothes。Thetipstaffsbeatupontherail，thelawyerhehadinterruptedutteredanindignantexclamation，Andrewscamehurriedlytowardhim，andtheyoungjudgeslowlyturnedhishead。

"Thosepersons，"hesaid，"whocannotrespectthedignityofthiscourtwillleaveit。"Ashespoke，withhiseyesfixedonthoseofMr。Thorndike，thelattersawthattheyoungjudgehadsuddenlyrecognizedhim。Butthefactofhisidentitydidnotcausethefrowntorelaxortherebuketohaltunuttered。Ineven，icytonesthejudgecontinued:"Anditiswelltheyshouldrememberthatthelawisnorespecterofpersonsandthatthedignityofthiscourtwillbeenforced，nomatterwhotheoffendermayhappentobe。"

AndrewsslippedintothechairbesideMr。Thorndike，andgrinnedsympathetically。

"Sorry！"hewhispered。"Shouldhavewarnedyou。Wewon’tbelongnow，"headdedencouragingly。"Assoonasthisfellowfinisheshisargument，thejudge’lltakeupthesentences。Yourmanseemstohaveotherfriends;Isaacs&Sonsarehere，andthetype—writerfirmwhotaughthim;butwhatYOUsaywillhelpmost。Itwon’tbemorethanacoupleofhoursnow。"

"Acoupleofhours！"Mr。Thorndikeragedinwardly。Acoupleofhoursinthisplacewherehehadbeenpubliclyhumiliated。Hesmiled，athin，shark—likesmile。Thosewhomadeittheirbusinesstostudyhisexpressions，onseeingit，wouldhavefled。YoungAndrews，notbeingacquaintedwiththemoodsofthegreatman，addedcheerfully:"Byoneo’clock，anyway。"

Mr。Thorndikebegangrimlytopullonhisgloves。ForallhecarednowyoungSpearcouldgohang。Andrewsnudgedhiselbow。

"Seethatoldladyinthefrontrow？"hewhispered。"That’sMrs。

Spear。WhatdidItellyou;mothersareallalike。She’snottakenhereyesoffyousincecourtopened。Sheknowsyou’reheronebestbet。"

ImpatientlyMr。Thorndikeraisedhishead。Hesawalittle，white—

hairedwomanwhostaredathim。Inhereyeswasthesamelookhehadseenintheeyesofmenwho，attimesofpanic，fledtohim，beseeching，entreating，forcinguponhimwhatwasleftofthewreckoftheirfortunes，ifonlyhewouldsavetheirhonor。

"Andherecometheprisoners，"Andrewswhispered。"SeeSpear？

Thirdmanfromthelast。"Alongline，guardedinfrontandrear，shuffledintothecourt—room，and，asordered，rangedthemselvesagainstthewall。Amongthemwereoldmenandyoungboys，welldressed，clever—lookingrascals，collarlesstramps，fierce—eyedaliens，smooth—shaven，thin—lippedBroadwayards——andSpear。

Spear，hisheadhanging，withlipswhiteandcheeksashen，andhiseyesheavywithshame。

Mr。Thorndikehadrisen，and，infarewell，washoldingouthishandtoAndrews。Heturned，andacrossthecourt—roomtheeyesofthefinancierandthestenographermet。Atthesightofthegreatman，Spearflushedcrimson，andthenhislookofdespairslowlydisappeared;andintohiseyestherecameincredulouslyhopeandgratitude。Heturnedhisheadsuddenlytothewall。

Mr。Thorndikestoodirresolute，andthensankbackintohischair。

Thefirstmaninthelinewasalreadyattherailing，andthequestionsputtohimbythejudgewerebeingrepeatedtohimbytheotherassistantdistrictattorneyandacourtattendant。Hismutteredanswerswereinturnrepeatedtothejudge。

"Sayshe’smarried，naturalizedcitizen，LutheranChurch，die—

cutterbyprofession。"

Theprobationofficer，herhandsfilledwithpapers，bustledforwardandwhispered。

"Mrs。Austinsays，"continuedthedistrictattorney，"she’slookedintothiscase，andaskstohavethemanturnedovertoher。Hehasawifeandthreechildren;hassupportedthemforfiveyears。"

"Isthewifeincourt？"thejudgesaid。

Athin，washed—out，prettywomanstoodup，andclaspedherhandsinfrontofher。

"Hasthismanbeenagoodhusbandtoyou，madam？"askedtheyoungjudge。

Thewomanbrokeintovehementassurances。Nomancouldhavebeenabetterhusband。Wouldshetakehimback？Indeedshewouldtakehimback。Sheheldoutherhandsasthoughshewouldphysicallydragherhusbandfromthepillory。

Thejudgebowedtowardtheprobationofficer，andshebeckonedtheprisonertoher。

Othermenfollowed，andinthefortuneofeachMr。Thorndikefoundhimself，tohissurprise，takingapersonalinterest。Itwasasgoodasaplay。ItremindedhimoftheSicilianshehadseeninLondonintheirlittlesordidtragedies。Onlytheseactorswereappearingintheirproperpersonsinrealdramasofalifehedidnotknow，butwhichappealedtosomethingthathadbeenlonguntouched，longindisuse。Itwasanuncomfortablesensationthatlefthimrestlessbecause，asheappreciated，itneededexpression，anoutlet。Hefoundthis，partially，inpraising，throughAndrews，theyoungjudgewhohadpubliclyrebukedhim。Mr。Thorndikefoundhimastute，sane;hisqueriesintelligent，hiscommentsjust。Andthisprobationofficer，she，too，wascapable，wasshenot？

Smilingathisinterestinwhattohimwasanoldstory，theyoungermannodded。

"Ilikeherlooks，"whisperedthegreatman。"Likehercleareyesandcleanskin。Shestrikesmeasable，fullofenergy，andyetwomanly。Thesemenwhentheycomeunderhercharge，"heinsisted，eagerly，"needmoneytostartagain，don’tthey？"Hespokeanxiously。Hebelievedhehadfoundtheclewtohisrestlessness。

Itwasadesiretohelp;tobeofusetothesefailureswhohadfallenandwhowerebeingliftedtotheirfeet。Andrewslookedathimcuriously。"Anythingyougiveher，"heanswered，"wouldbewellinvested。"

"Ifyouwilltellmehernameandaddress？"whisperedthebanker。

Hewasmuchgiventocharity，butithadbeenperfunctory，itwasextendedontheadviceofhissecretary。Inhelpinghere，hefeltagenialglowofpersonalpleasure。ItwasmuchmoresatisfactorythangivinganOldMastertohisprivatechapel。

Intherearofthecourt—roomtherewasascufflethatcausedeveryonetoturnandlook。Aman，whohadtriedtoforcehiswaypastthetipstaffs，wasbeingviolentlyejected，and，ashedisappeared，hewavedapapertowardMr。Thorndike。Thebankerrecognizedhimashischiefclerk。Andrewsroseanxiously。"Thatmanwantedtogettoyou。I’llseewhatitis。Maybeit’simportant。"

Mr。Thorndikepulledhimback。

"Maybeitis，"hesaiddryly。"ButIcan’tseehimnow，I’mbusy。"

Slowlythelonglineofderelicts，ofbirdsofprey，ofsorry，weakfailures，passedbeforetheseatofjudgment。Mr。Thorndikehadmovedintoachairnearertotherail，andfromtimetotimemadeanoteuponthebackofanenvelope。Hehadforgottenthetimeorhadchosentodisregardit。Sogreatwashisinterestthathehadforgottentheparticularderelicthehadcometoserve，untilSpearstoodalmostathiselbow。

Thorndiketurnedeagerlytothejudge，andsawthathewaslisteningtoarotund，graylittlemanwithbeady，bird—likeeyeswho，ashetalked，bowedandgesticulated。Behindhimstoodayoungerman，amoremoderneditionoftheother。Healsobowedand，behindgoldeye—glasses，smiledingratiatingly。

Thejudgenodded，andleaningforward，forafewmomentsfixedhiseyesupontheprisoner。

"Youareaveryfortunateyoungman，"hesaid。Helaidhishanduponapileofletters。"Whenyouwereyourownworstenemy，yourfriendscametohelpyou。Theselettersspeakforyou;youremployers，whomyourobbed，havepleadedwithmeinyourfavor。Itisurged，inyourbehalf，thatatthetimeyoucommittedthecrimeofwhichyouarefoundguilty，youwereintoxicated。Intheeyesofthelaw，thatisnoexcuse。Somemencandrinkandkeeptheirsenses。Itappearsyoucannot。Whenyoudrinkyouareamenacetoyourself——and，asisshownbythiscrime，tothecommunity。

Therefore，youmustnotdrink。Inviewofthegoodcharactertowhichyourfriendshavetestified，andontheconditionthatyoudonottouchliquor，Iwillnotsentenceyoutojail，butwillplaceyouinchargeoftheprobationofficer。"

ThejudgeleanedbackinhischairandbeckonedtoMr。Andrews。Itwasfinished。Spearwasfree，andfromdifferentpartsofthecourtroompeopleweremovingtowardthedoor。Theirnumbersshowedthatthefriendsoftheyoungmanhadbeenmany。Mr。Thorndikefeltacertaintwingeofdisappointment。Eventhoughtheresultrelievedandpleasedhim，hewished，inbringingitabout，hehadhadsomepart。

HebegrudgedtoIsaacs&SonsthecreditofhavinggivenSpearhisliberty。Hismorninghadbeenwasted。Hehadneglectedhisowninterests，andinnowayassistedthoseofSpear。HewasmovingoutoftherailedenclosurewhenAndrewscalledhimbyname。

"Hishonor，"hesaidimpressively，"wishestospeaktoyou。"

ThejudgeleanedoverhisdeskandshookMr。Thorndikebythehand。

Thenhemadeaspeech。Thespeechwasaboutpublic—spiritedcitizenswho，totheneglectoftheirowninterests，cametoassisttheendsofjustice，andfellow—creaturesinmisfortune。Hepurposelyspokeinaloudvoice，andeveryonestoppedtolisten。

"Thelaw，Mr。Thorndike，isnotvindictive，"hesaid。"Itwishesonlytobejust。Norcanitbeswayedbywealthorpoliticalorsocialinfluences。Butwhenthereisgoodinaman，I，personally，wanttoknowit，andwhengentlemenlikeyourself，ofyourstandinginthiscity，comeheretospeakagoodwordforaman，wewouldstultifythepurposeofjusticeifwedidnotlisten。Ithankyouforcoming，andIwishmoreofourcitizenswereasunselfishandpublic—spirited。"

Itwasallquiteabsurdandmostembarrassing，butinwardlyMr。

Thorndikeglowedwithpleasure。Itwasalongtimesinceanyonehadhadtheaudacitytotellhimhehaddonewell。FromthefriendsofSpeartherewasarippleofapplause，whichnotipstafftookituponhimselftosuppress，andtotheaccompanimentofthis，Mr。Thorndikewalkedtothecorridor。Hewaspleasedwithhimselfandwithhisfellow—men。HeshookhandswithIsaacs&Sons，andcongratulatedthemupontheirpublicspirit，andthetype—writerfirmupontheirpublicspirit。AndthenhesawSpearstandingapartregardinghimdoubtfully。

Speardidnotofferhishand，butMr。Thorndiketookit，andshookit，andsaid:"Iwanttomeetyourmother。"

AndwhenMrs。Speartriedtostopsobbinglongenoughtotellhimhowhappyshewas，andhowgrateful，heinsteadtoldherwhatafinesonshehad，andthatherememberedwhenSpearusedtocarryflowerstotownforher。Andsherememberedit，too，andthankedhimfortheflowers。AndhetoldSpear，whenIsaacs&Sonswentbankrupt，whichattheratetheyweregivingawaytheirmoneytotheHebrewHospitalwouldbeverysoon，Spearmustcomebacktohim。AndIsaacs&Sonsweredelightedatthegreatman’spleasantry，andafterwardrepeateditmanytimes，callinguponeachothertobearwitness，andSpearfeltasthoughsomeonehadgivenhimanewbackbone，andAndrews，whowasguidingThorndikeoutofthebuilding，wasthinkingtohimselfwhatagreatconfidencemanhadbeenlostwhenThorndikebecameabanker。

Thechiefclerkandtwobankmessengerswerewaitingbytheautomobilewithwrittencallsforhelpfromtheoffice。Theypounceduponthebankerandalmostliftedhimintothecar。

"There’sstilltime！"pantedthechiefclerk。

"Thereisnot！"answeredMr。Thorndike。Histonewasrebellious，defiant。Itcarriedalltheauthorityofaspoiledchildoffortune。"I’vewastedmostofthisday，"hedeclared，"andI

intendtowastetherestofit。Andrews，"hecalled，"jumpin，andI’llgiveyoualunchatSherry’s。"

Thevigilantprotectorofthepublicdashedbackintothebuilding。

"WaittillIgetmyhat！"hecalled。

Asthetwotruantsrolleduptheavenuethespringsunshinewarmedthem，thesenseofdutiesneglectedaddedzesttotheirholiday，andyoungMr。Andrewslaughedaloud。

Mr。Thorndikeraisedhiseyebrowsinquiringly。"Iwaswondering，"

saidAndrews，"howmuchitcostyoutokeepSpearoutofjail？"

"Idon’tcare，"saidthegreatmanguiltily;"itwasworthit。"