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diff --git a/37113.txt b/37113.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 2841903..0000000 --- a/37113.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,12727 +0,0 @@ - THE SIXTY-FIRST SECOND - - - - -This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this ebook or online at -http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United -States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are -located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: The Sixty-First Second -Author: Owen Johnson -Release Date: March 12, 2015 [EBook #37113] -Reposted: May 06, 2016 [text corrections applied] -Language: English -Character set encoding: US-ASCII - - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SIXTY-FIRST SECOND *** - - - - -Produced by Al Haines. - - - - - -[Illustration: "'I shall have the detectives here--a man and a -woman--within half an hour. There is nothing to do but wait'"--Page 61] - - - - - *THE - SIXTY-FIRST - SECOND* - - - BY - - OWEN JOHNSON - - AUTHOR OF "STOVER AT YALE," ETC. - - - - _ILLUSTRATED BY A. B. WENZELL_ - - - - NEW YORK - FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - - _Copyright, 1912, 1913, by_ - THE MCCLURE PUBLICATIONS, INC. - - _Copyright, 1913, by_ - FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY - - _All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign - languages, including the Scandinavian_ - - _March, 1913_ - - - - - *ILLUSTRATIONS* - - -"'I shall have the detectives here--a man and a woman--within half an -hour. There's nothing to do but wait'" . . . . . . _Frontispiece_ - -"In that gay party one person was a thief--but which one? ... A match -sputtered. There was a cry of amazement and horror. The table was -absolutely bare" - -"'Look here, Rita. Can't I help out some way?'" - -"'Come outside--in the garden. I want to speak to you. Come quietly'" - -"'I have not hesitated to trust in you--you must in me'" - -"'Aha! I made them sit up, didn't I--your cold women!'" - - - - - *The Sixty-First Second* - - - - *CHAPTER I* - - -In the year 19--, toward the end of the month of October, the country -was on the eve of a stupendous panic. A period of swollen prosperity -had just ended in which Titans had striven in a frenzy for the millions -that opportunity had spilled before them. - -For months the stock market had steadily lowered, owing to the flight of -the small investor, affrighted by the succession of investigations, the -fear of readjustments, and the distrust of the great manipulators. The -public, which understands nothing of the secret wars and hidden -alliances of finance, had begun tremulously to be aware of the -threatening approach of a stupendous catastrophe. So in the ominous, -grumbling days of October, when the air was full of confusing rumors and -violent alarms, the public, with its necessity for humanizing all -sensations, perceived distinctly only two figures, each dramatically in -peril, about whose safety or ruin the whole comprehensible drama of the -financial cataclysm seemed to center. - -These two figures, both presidents of great trust companies, giants in -their own sphere, represented two opposite elements of that great mass -of society which seeks its level in Wall Street. Bernard L. Majendie, -president of the Atlantic Trust Company, member of every exclusive club, -patron of the arts, representative of one of the oldest American -families, accustomed to leadership and wealth from colonial times, was -linked in a common danger with John G. Slade, president of the -Associated Trust Company, promoter, manipulator, owner of a chain of -Western newspapers, a man who had hauled himself out of the lowest -depths of society. Many believed that both, in the relentless -readjustment which the banks were forcing on the trust companies, were -destined to be blotted out in the general catastrophe. Many others, -perceiving the strange oppositeness of the two individuals, speculated -on which would survive the other, if indeed either were to persist. - -About three o'clock of a certain afternoon, when each extra brought a -new alarm, John G. Slade came abruptly from the great library, down the -sounding marble descent that was a replica of the famous rampe of the -Chateau of Gerny, into the tapestry-hung vestibule of his palace on -upper Fifth Avenue. - -He stood a moment in blank meditation, while the third man held his -overcoat open and ready, watching anxiously the frown on the face of the -master, who stood before him, a massive six-foot-four. Already in the -great marble home itself was that feeling of alarm from the outer world -which had communicated itself to the servants. Suddenly Slade, -returning to himself, detected the furtive scrutiny of the footman and -the butler, who had so far departed from their correctly petrified -attitudes as to exchange wondering glances. He frowned, pointed to his -loose black felt hat and his favorite cane, and tore so rapidly through -the heavily ironed doors and down the steps to the waiting automobile -that the second footman stumbled twice in his haste to be before him. -Two or three reporters, who had been lurking behind the great marble -bastions, sprang forward as Slade, disappearing in the motor, was -whirled away. - -"Up river," he said briefly, and sank back in his seat. - -He was in the middle forties, a man noticeable anywhere for the -overmastering vitality of his carriage and the defiant poise of his -head. Nature had admirably designed him for what he was intended to -be--a being always at war with men and surrounding circumstances. His -face was devoid of any fine indications of sensibility, of reflection, -or humorous perception of life. The upper and lower maxillary bones -were in such gaunt relief they seemed rather steel girders hung to -support a granite will. The head was square, sunk rather than placed -upon his shoulders, and the line of the head at the back was straight -and full of crude power. He had, at the same time, a suggestion in the -shoulders of the obstinacy of the buffalo, the most distinctive of -American beasts, and in the eye-pits of the fatalism of the Indian, -which as a type often seems not so much the physical tenacity of an -unexplained race as it does the peculiar impress of a continent and an -atmosphere surcharged with vitality. - -The eyes were a clear blue, the eyes of a boy in mischief who is still -sublimely defiant of the tripping obstacles of an ethical code. This -quality of the boy, characteristic too of the American, was the secret -of all his seeming inconstancy of unrelenting cruelty and sudden -sentimental impulsiveness. Life was to him a huge dare, and all the -perils of finance the hazards of a monstrous gamble, which alone were -able to supply him with that overwhelming quality of sensation that such -men covet in life. - -A waif at six; a wharf rat at twelve, endowed with the strength of a -man; leader of a gang at sixteen, hated, feared, always fighting; -gaining his first start in politics, and then, by making a lucky strike -in the silver mines of Colorado, educating himself with primitive -necessary knowledge, always acquiring, never relaxing what his fingers -touched, a terrible antagonist, risking his all a dozen times in the -hunger for a greater stake--he had emerged at last from the churning -vortex of a brutal struggle, possessor of a fortune that fifty times had -hung on the events of a day. For five years he had been involved in -countless lawsuits, accused of chicanery, extortion, conspiracy, and -even murder. At the end of which period he came forth victorious, -without losing a single suit, surrounded, it is true, by every calumny -that could be invented, accused of manipulating legislatures, corrupting -judges, and removing witnesses. - -Through it all he had remained unshattered, boyishly delighted, his body -unyielding to the strain of sleepless nights and months of unrelenting -vigilance. He had lived hard, ready to gamble for a thousand or a -hundred thousand, cynically announcing his motto: - -"No friends. So long as every man is my enemy, I am safe." - -And this theory of life he had carried out to the minutest detail. Men -represented to him simply the male of the species, to be met head on, to -strive with and overthrow. So completely did this obsess him that no -one, not even his secretaries (whom he changed constantly), had the -slightest inkling of his plans. Two of his subordinates, hoping to -profit by their intimacy, had foolishly invested on his deliberately -given tips--and had been ruined. Afterward he cited their cases as a -warning to other applicants. - -From the start, always counting on the year ahead, he had outrun his -income. When he had ten thousand, he was spending fifteen; at fifty -thousand, seventy-five. Every one who came in contact with him was paid -twice over, and robbed him in the bargain--a fact on which he counted -and to which he was quite indifferent. - -Coming to Wall Street in that period of fevered speculation, he had been -among the first to perceive the enormous instruments at hand in the -development of a chain of trust companies which would supply a -conveniently masked agency for the enormous capital that he needed to -compete on equal terms with the leaders of the Street. - -That now, for the first time, he was confronted with a situation of -absolute and impending ruin, brought him not the slightest depression, -but rather that exhilaration and sudden clearness of mind which is -characteristic of the gambler face to face with the supreme hour which -means absolute bankruptcy or a fortune. - -At every block some one on the crowded sidewalk, or a group in a passing -carriage, turned with a hasty exclamation at the sight of his bulky -figure under the black sombrero, fleeing in the red automobile that was -itself at this period a rarity. At one point where a blockade compelled -him to halt, a newsboy, jumping on the sideboard, thrust a newspaper in -his face. He flung a dime and glanced at the headlines: - - - MARKET STILL GOING DOWN - - RUMORED SUSPENSIONS - - -Then he tossed it aside and returned to his own calculations. All at -once he roused himself and addressed the chauffeur: - -"Harkness, Mrs. Braddon's. Take the park." - -But as the automobile, turning from the river, descended by way of green -woods, he began restlessly to repent of his choice. His hatred of men -had made him strangely dependent on women. It was not that they were -able to establish any empire over his senses, but that they supplied a -curious outlet to his vanity. At times, especially as in the present, -when he felt the necessity of assembling every resource to meet a -crisis, it became absolutely necessary for him to find, in the tribute -he exacted from them, that self-confidence which he needed to override -other obstacles. Often he would take in his automobile three or four -women of that class which is half professional, half of the world, and, -running slowly through the pleasant country, recount stories of his -early struggles, of how he had railroaded an enemy to prison, or caught -an adversary in a turn of the market and broken him. And when these -tales of unrelenting enmity made his audience shudder, he keenly -perceived it, and enjoyed almost a physical delight. - -But this afternoon, as the car came to a stop before one of the great -apartment-houses that front the park, he remained seated, unsatisfied -and defrauded. It was not a woman of the superficial wit of Mrs. Braddon -who could occupy and stimulate his mind in this crisis. - -"Drive on," he said sharply. "Turn the corner and stop at the hotel." - -There he descended, and entering went to the telephone. - -"Mrs. Kildair?" he said eagerly, a moment later. - -"Who is it, please?" - -"This is Slade--John Slade. I'm coming over." - -"I can't see you now," said a voice with a curious musical quality of -self-possession. "I told you five o'clock." - -"What difference does half an hour make?" he said impatiently. - -"I have other company. You will have to be patient. At five." - -The connection was shut off. He rose angrily, unaccustomed to any check -to his immediate impulses. At the steps a boy came skipping down for the -toll he had forgotten. He paid the exact amount, contrary to his -custom, and drove his body back into the cushioned seat. - -"Where to, sir?" said Harkness, turning. - -"Anywhere," he answered gruffly, and, thwarted in his desire, he said to -himself furiously: "That woman always opposes me! I must teach her a -lesson. I won't go at all." - -But at the end of a moment he pulled out his watch impatiently and -calculated the time. - -"Home," he said suddenly. - -At the house, he ran rapidly through the opening doors and up the stairs -to his bedroom, where he unlocked a little safe fixed in the wall behind -a tapestry that hid it, and took out a tray of rings. Sorting them -quickly, with a low, cynical chuckle, he selected a magnificent ruby, -slipped it into his pocket, closed the safe, and passed out of the house -with the same rapidity with which he had entered. - -"Mrs. Kildair's, Harkness," he said. "Drive so as to get me there at -five-fifteen." - -"Now we shall see," he said to himself, with a smile, gazing at the ring -in the palm of his hand with a man's contemptuous contemplation of the -stone which could hold such fascination over a woman's soul. For him it -was absolutely necessary, as a first step toward his conquest of all his -enemies, to feel his power over this one present resistance. - -The idea that had come into his head restored his good humor and aroused -in him a certain joy of energy. He had forgot momentarily his errand, -absorbed in his own battle for existence. - -"Today is Thursday," he said, with renewed energy. "Next Wednesday will -be the crisis. I must find out what Majendie is going to do. -Snelling's the man to know--or Garraboy." - -The car stopped. He sprang out and, without giving his name, entered -the elevator. At the apartment a Japanese servant took his things and -ushered him into the low-lit greens of the studio, which ran the height -of the two floors that formed the duplex apartment. - -Mrs. Rita Kildair was stretched on a low Recamier sofa, watching him -with amused eyes as he entered with that atmosphere of strife and fury -that seemed always to play about him. She waited until he had come to -her side before she raised her hand to his, in a gesture that had no -animation, saying: - -"How do you do?" - -Something in the tranquil, amused self-possession of her pose made him -stupidly repeat the question. Then, forgetting his resolve to show no -impatience, he said impetuously: - -"Why did you keep me waiting?" - -"Because I did not wish to see your highness then." - -"Not dressed?" - -"No, I was simply amusing myself with a very nice boy." - -"Who?" - -She smiled, and, without heed to his question, motioned him to a chair -with a little gesture, not of her arm, but of her fingers, on which she -wore several rings of unusual luster. She had, as a woman, that same -magnetic self-consciousness that distinguishes the great actress, aware -that every eye is focused on her and that the slightest change of her -hand or shift of her head has an instantaneous importance. - -Slade obeyed her with a sudden sense of warm content. - -"Smoke?" he said, taking out a cigar. "Permission?" - -He helped himself to a match, sunk himself in the great chair, crossed -his legs, and looked at her. - -Rita Kildair gave that complex appearance of a woman much younger than -she seemed, or of a woman much older. She was at that mental phase in -her life when she exhaled to the fullest that perfume of mystery which -is the most feminine and irresistible of all the powers that a woman -exerts over the masculine imagination, if indeed it is not the sum of -all seductions. The inexplicable in her own life and individuality was -heightened in every way by the subservience of outward things, whether -by calculation or by an instinctive sense of interpretation. - -The great studio, to the neglect of the electric chandelier, was lit by -half a dozen candles, which flung about conflicting eddies of wavering -lights and shadows. In farther corners were a divan, a piano, a -portrait on an easel, lounges, waiting like so many shadows to be called -forth. A standing lamp, not too near, bathed the couch on which she lay -with a softened luster. Her tea-gown of liberty silk, with tones that -changed and mingled with each other, was of the purple of the grape, an -effect produced, too, by the superimposition of one filmy garment on the -other. A slippered foot and ankle came forth from the fragrant disorder -of the skirt, either by studied arrangement or by the impulse of a woman -who is confident of all her poses. Her nose, quite the most individual -feature, was aquiline, yet not such as is associated with a masculine -character. Rather, it was vitally sensitive, and gave, in conjunction -with the intent and instantaneous aspect of her grayish eyes, the -instinctive, almost savage appetite for possession and sensation that is -characteristic of her sex. No one looked at her without asking himself a -question. Those who believed her under thirty wondered at the -experiences that must have crowded in upon her. Those who believed her -nearer forty still marveled at her mastery over youth. Those of an -analytical mind left her always with a feeling of speculation framed in -two questions--whence had she come and where would she end? - -It was this latter speculation more than any other that absorbed Slade, -irresistibly intrigued by the elusiveness of a fascination which he -could not analyze. She endured his fixed glance without annoyance, -absorbed, too, in the thoughts which his entrance had brought her. -Finally, adapting her manner to his, she said with his own abruptness: - -"Well, what do you want to say to me?" - -"I'm wondering what you are after in this life, pretty lady?" he said -directly. - -"What do you want?" - -"Power." - -"Not to be bored." - -They smiled by common consent. - -"And now we know no more than we did before," he said. - -She stretched out her slender hand against the purple folds of her gown, -and her eyes lingered on the jewels that she held caressingly before -them--a look that did not escape the man. - -"By thunder, you're the strangest thing I've run into," he said, -shifting his legs. - -"On each of the eight times we have been alone," she said, smiling, "you -have made precisely that same discovery. Did you forget?" - -"I'd like to know something about you," he said. - -"How old I am--about my husband--what I am doing here--am I rich--what's -my past--and so on. Consider all these questions asked and refused--for -the ninth time. And now, what--why did you come here?" - -He put aside his cigar impatiently, propelled himself to his feet, and -came forward until his knee touched the couch. She looked up, -pleasantly aware of so much brute strength held in leash above her. - -"Sit down." - -And, as he remained standing, she took a little electric button attached -to a coil that was on the couch, and pressed it. In the hall outside a -buzz was heard, and then the soft, sliding step of Kiki. - -"Tea?" she said, turning to him with an amused look, the little button -pressed against her thin, sharp row of teeth, that were clear and tiny -as a child's. - -"No, of course not," he said furiously. - -"No tea, Kiki," she said, in that same round, musical tone from which -she seldom varied. She held the button in her long fingers, caressing -her cheek with it, and, looking at him with half-closed eyes, repeated: - -"Sit down." - -Though the forward movement of Slade had been unconscious and quite -devoid of any personal object, he was angrily aware that she had availed -herself of his action to introduce a tantalizing defiance which awakened -all the savage in him, as he realized the helplessness of his crude -strength before the raillery that shone from her eyes. - -He drew his chair closer to her, sat down on its edge, one knee forward, -his chin in his hand half concealing his face, looking at her with the -shrewd cruelty of a prosecuting attorney. - -"What's your game?" he said. - -"The game itself," she answered, with a little animation in her eyes and -a scarcely perceptible, gradual turning of her whole body toward him. - -"What's your game?" he repeated. - -She looked at him a moment as she might have looked at a child, and -then, imitating the gesture with which he had sunk his chin in his palm, -said: - -"What a convenient formula! And is that the way you always begin?" - -"Perhaps." - -"Do you know," she continued, "it is extraordinary how simple you big -men--you trust kings--are. You have the vision of an eagle on one side, -and the groping glance of a baby when you deal with us. Sometimes I -think that it's all instinct, that all you understand is to throw down -what resists you--that you haven't great minds at all, and that that is -all that interests you in business and in us. That is why a big man will -always end up by meeting some little woman who will lead him around by -the nose. Any little fool of a woman who knows enough never to cease -resisting you can do it." - -"Do you like me?" he said brutally. - -"Yes." - -"Much?" - -"Quite a good deal." - -"Are you planning to marry me?" - -She smiled her languid, amused smile without shifting her glance from -his. - -"Why don't you come to the point?" she said. - -"What do you mean?" - -"I don't have to ask your game; I know it." - -"What do you know?" - -"Shall I tell you why you came here at a moment when you are at bay, -attacked everywhere?" - -"Why?" - -"To find out what I know about Majendie." - -"Do you know anything?" - -"He is coming here tonight," she said. - -"No, that is not it," he said scornfully, rising and again approaching -her. "You know better. You exhilarate me--you wake me up; and I need -to be stimulated. So you've got it back in your little brain to marry -me," he said, looking down with amused contemplation at the reclining -figure, that was not so much human as a perfumed bed of flowers; "that -is, if I pull through and keep my head above water." - -He hesitated a moment, and then said: - -"Why did you keep me waiting? Just to annoy me?" - -"I wonder," she said, looking up from under her eyelashes at his -towering figure. "Perhaps it was to teach you some things are -difficult." - -"That's it, eh?" - -"Perhaps--and I'm afraid I shall irritate you many more times." - -He took a step nearer and said abruptly: - -"Look out! I don't play fair." - -"Neither do I," she said. - -She took the button up again, frowning in a nonchalant way, and held it -a moment while she waited for his decision. He shrugged his shoulders -and stood back, taking several steps toward the center of the room. - -"Listen, John G. Slade," she said, her tone changing from the felinely -feminine to the matter-of-fact, "don't let's continue as children. You -are no match for me at this game. I warn you. Come. Be direct. Will -you have me as an ally?" - -He turned and looked at her, considering. - -"In what way?" - -"Is it of importance to you to know the probable fate of Majendie and -the Atlantic Trust?" - -"Yes--in a way." - -"I may have means of learning just that information tonight." - -"What do you want in return?" - -"Full confidence. I want two questions answered." - -"What?" - -She had raised herself to a sitting position out of the languor which -was not the indolence of the Oriental, but rather the volcanic -slumbering of the Slav, always ready to break forth into sudden -tremendous exertion. - -"Can the Associated Trust meet its Wednesday obligations without -assistance?" - -"And second?" he said, amazed at the detailed knowledge that her -question implied. - -"Second, if it can't, will the Clearing-house help it through?" - -"What difference to you would it make to know?" - -"It would." - -"How long have you known Bernard Majendie?" he said slowly. - -She accepted the question as a rebuff. - -"There are my terms," she said, sinking back on the couch. "You don't -wish an ally, then?" - -"No." - -"You don't trust me?" - -"No." - -"I knew you wouldn't," she said indolently; "and yet, I could help you -more than you think." - -"I trusted a man once," he said scornfully. "I have never made that -mistake with a woman." - -"As you wish." - -"Are you trying a flyer?" he said, smiling. "That's the game, is it--a -tip?" - -"I have told you," she said coldly and in a tone that carried -conviction, "that what interests me is to win the game itself, the -excitement and the perils. And I have been behind the scenes many -times." - -"I believe it," he said abruptly. "I should like to hear--" - -"I am a woman who keeps the secrets of others and her own," she -answered, interrupting his question. - -"And if you marry?" he said curiously. - -"Even then." She dismissed the return to the personal with the first -quick movement of her hand and continued: "I should say, you are the -best hated man in Wall Street." - -"That's not exactly inside information." - -"No one is going to come to your help out of friendship." - -"True." - -"If Majendie and the Atlantic Trust Company fail, nothing in this world -can pull you through," she said, seeking in some uncontrolled movement -of his an answer to the statement that was in reality a question. - -From the moment she had begun to question him, he experienced a sudden -change. He was no longer dealing with a woman, but with an element he -had outguessed a hundred times. - -All at once an odd idea came to him which struck him as stupendously -ridiculous, and yet made him glower in covert admiration at the woman -who watched him while seemingly engaged with the rearrangement of her -draperies. - -"Is it possible, after all," he thought, "that that ambitious little -head is playing with both Majendie and me, and that she is setting her -cap for the survivor?" - -He came back, reseated himself, and said, with an appearance of candor -which would have deceived most people: - -"You say Majendie is coming here tonight?" - -"Yes." - -"Do you know where he is this afternoon?" - -"Yes." - -"And the object of his visit?" - -"The object is easy to guess," she said indifferently. "You know -perfectly well that he is in conference with Fontaine, Marx, and -Gunther, and what you wish to know is whether they are going to stand -aside and let him sink. Are you ready to answer my two questions?" - -"And when will you know if he has failed or succeeded?" - -"Tonight." - -"He will tell you?" - -"I shall know tonight," she said, with an evasive smile. - -"What's your private opinion?" - -"They will come to his assistance," she said carefully. - -"Because they are his personal friends," he said, with an accent of -raillery. - -"Naturally." - -"You believe Majendie will pull through?" - -"I do." She looked at him a moment, and asked the question, not so much -to receive an answer as to judge from his manner: "Can the Associated -Trust meet its obligations on Wednesday without assistance?" - -"I can," he said quietly, and to himself he added: "There--if Majendie -has set her to pump me, little good that'll do him." - -"But if the Atlantic Trust Company shuts its doors," she persisted, "you -are caught?" - -"That is the general opinion." - -"Will you fail?" - -"No." - -She was quiet a moment, dissatisfied, looked away from him and then -said: - -"So you don't care to know what I shall learn to-night?" - -"My dear lady, I won't tell you a thing," he said, with a laugh, "so -stop trying. Leave us to fight our own battles. Plot all you want in -your cunning head your little feminine plans, but don't get beyond your -depth." - -"I see you believe I'm interested in Majendie," she said, with a shrug -of her shoulders. "You are not very well informed." - -"No," he said bluntly; "you are interested in no one but Rita Kildair. -I know that much." He rose, took several strides back and forth, and, -returning, stood by her. "I hate allies," he said; "I prefer to -consider you as a woman." - -His remark brought a sharp gleam of curiosity to her eyes, a spark of -instinctive sex antagonism that flashed and disappeared. - -"Remember, I have warned you," she said, retiring as abruptly into the -feline languor of her pose. - -He stood, swayed by two emotions, the purely gentle, almost caressing -effect her indolence brought him, and the desire to establish some -sudden empire over her--to feel his strength above hers. - -"What's the weak point in your armor?" he said savagely. - -"I wouldn't tell you." - -"I think I know one." - -"Really?" - -He drew his chair still closer, and, leaning over, touched with his -stubby forefinger the rings on her outstretched hand. - -"Jewels?" she said, smiling. - -"Yes." - -"Any woman is the same." - -"Why?" - -"I don't know--it is so," she said, and, raising the deep lusters, she -allowed her glance to rest on them as in a dream of opium. - -He drew from his pocket the ring with the ruby, and held it out. - -"Try this on." - -She took it between her finger-tips slowly, looking at him with a glance -that was a puzzled frown, and slipped it on her finger. Then she -extended her hand gradually to the full length of her white arm against -the purple, and half closed her eyes. There was no outward sign; only a -deep breath went through her, as though an immense change had taken -place in the inner woman. - -"Now I know what I want to know," he said, watching her closely with -almost an animal joy in this sudden revelation of an appetite in her. - -"It's a wonderful stone," she said in a whisper; then she drew it off -slowly, as though the flesh rebelled, and held it out to him, turning -away her eyes. - -"Keep it." - -She raised her eyes and looked at him steadily. - -"You are cleverer than I thought," she said. - -"Keep it." - -"Is this for information about Majendie?" she said slowly. - -"Not for that." - -"For what, then?" she said steadily. - -"For a whim." - -"Thanks; I don't trust your whims." - -For all reply, he took her hand and again placed the ring on it. - -"Wear it," he said. - -She turned the stone quickly inside her palm as though unable to endure -its lure, and looked at him profoundly. - -"_Are_ you going to pull through?" she said angrily. - -"Will it make a difference?" he asked, rising, with a quick glance at -his watch. - -She rose in her turn, facing him with a sudden energy. - -"Do you know the one great mistake you have made?" - -"What?" - -"You have condemned yourself to success." - -"What do you mean by that?" he said. - -"You must always succeed, and that is terrible! At the first defeat -every one will be up in arms against you--because every one wants to see -you ruined." - -"Every one?" he said, looking in her eyes. - -A second time she took off the ring and gave it to him, and as he -protested she said coldly: - -"Don't make me angry. The comedy has been amusing. Enough. Also, -don't trouble yourself about my motives. I haven't the slightest -intention of marrying you or any one else." - -And she accompanied the words with a gesture so imperative that, amazed -at the change, he no longer insisted. As he put out his hand, she said -suddenly, as if obeying an intuition: - -"I will tell you what you want to know. Gunther is almost sure to come -to Majendie's aid. I know it by a woman. Take care of yourself." - -"And I will tell you exactly the opposite," he said, bluffing. "Gunther -will not lend a cent; Majendie will go under, and I'll pull through." - -"You'll pull through even if the Atlantic Trust closes?" - -"Exactly." - -"Good-by," she said, with a shrug. - -"Remember what I said," he repeated, and went out. - -Five minutes later the bell rang, and Kiki brought her a little box and -an envelope. She recognized Slade's writing, and read: - - -DEAR LADY, - -Apologies for my rudeness. If you won't accept a gift, at least wear -the ring for a week. I should like to know what effect it could have on -your cold little soul. Oblige my curiosity. It's only a little -reparation for the disappointment I gave you. J.G.S. - - -"Decidedly, he is cleverer than I thought," she said musingly. In the -box was the great ruby ring. She took it up, examined it carefully, made -a motion as though to replace it in the box, and then suddenly slipped -it on her finger. - - - - - *CHAPTER II* - - -Mrs. Kildair knew pretty nearly every one in that indescribable society -in New York which is drawn from all levels, without classification, and -imposes but one condition for membership--to be amusing. Her home, in -fact, supplied that need of all limited and contending superimposed -sets, a central meeting-ground where one entered under the protection of -a flag of truce and departed without obligation. She knew every one, -and no one knew her. No one knew beyond the vaguest rumors her history -or her resources. No one had ever met a Mr. Kildair. There was always -about her a certain defensive reserve the moment the limit of -acquaintanceship had been touched. Mrs. Enos Bloodgood, who saw her -most and gave her the fullest confidence, knew no more than that she had -arrived from Paris five years before, with letters of introduction from -the best quarters. Her invitations were eagerly sought by leaders of -fashionable society, prima donnas, artists, visiting European -aristocrats, and men of the moment. Her dinners were spontaneous, and -the discussions, though gay and usually daring, were invariably under -the control of wit and good taste. - -As soon as Slade's present had been received she passed into the -dining-room to assure herself that everything was in readiness for the -informal chafing-dish supper to which she had invited some of her most -congenial friends, all of whom, as much as could be said of any one, -were habitues of the studio. Then, entering her Louis Quinze bedroom, -which exhaled a pleasant stirring atmosphere of perfume, she slipped off -her filmy purple tea-gown and chose an evening robe of absolute black, -of warm velvet, unrelieved by any color, but which gave to her shoulders -and arms that softness and brilliancy which no color can impart. - -Several times she halted, and, seating herself at her dressing-table, -fell into a fascinated contemplation of the great ruby that trembled -luminously on her finger like a bubble of scarlet blood. When, in the -act of deftly ordering the masses of her dark ruddy hair, her white -fingers lost themselves among the tresses, she stopped more than once, -entranced at the brilliancy of the stone against the white flesh and the -sudden depths of her hair. - -She rose and began to move about the room; but her hand from time to -time continued its coquetries above her forehead, as though the ring had -suddenly added to her feminine treasury a new instinctive gesture. - -At half-past seven, having finished dressing, she opened the doors which -made a thoroughfare between the studio and the small dining-room, and -passed into the larger room, where, at one end, Kiki had brought forth -three Sheraton tables, joined them, and set them with crystal and -silver. - -"Put in order my bedroom," she said, with an approving nod, "and then -you can go." - -She moved about the studio, studying the arrangements of the furniture, -seeing always from the tail of her eye the scarlet spot on her finger. - -"I wonder what it's worth," she said softly. "Ten, fifteen thousand at -the least." She held the ring from her, gazed at it dreamily. "I -wonder what woman's eye has looked upon you, you wonderful gem," she -whispered; and, as though transported with the vision of the past, she -drew it slowly toward her and pressed her lips against it. - -At this moment a buzz sounded from the hall, and she recovered herself -hastily and, a little ashamed, said with a feeling of alarm as she went -to the door: - -"Slade is entirely too clever; I must send it back tomorrow morning." - -Before she could reach the door it had opened, and there entered, with -the informality of assured acquaintance, a young man of twenty-five or --six, smiling, boyish, delighted at having stolen a march on the other -guests. - -"You are early," said Mrs. Kildair, smiling with instinctive reflection -of the roguish enjoyment that shone on his handsome, confident face. - -"Heavens, haven't I been beating the pavements for fourteen minutes by -the watch!" he said, laughing. "Regular kid trick." He took her hand, -carrying it to his lips. "The way they do in France, you know." - -"You're a nice boy, Teddy," she said, patting his hand. "Now, hang up -your coat, and help me with the candles." - -She watched him as he slipped his overcoat from the trim wide shoulders, -revealing all at once the clean-cut, well-tailored figure, full of -elasticity and youth. Teddy Beecher always gave her a sense of -well-being and pleasant content, with his harum-scarum ways and inviting -impudence. As he roused no intellectual resistance in her, she was all -the more sensitive to the purely physical charm in him, which she -appreciated as she might appreciate the finely strung body and -well-modulated limbs of a Perseus by Benvenuto Cellini. - -"Will I help you? Command me," he said, coming in eagerly. "Don't you -know, there's a little silver collar about my neck, and the inscription -is, 'This dog belongs to Rita Kildair.' Jove, Rita, but you're stunning -tonight!" - -He stood stock-still in frank amazement. He had known her but a short -while, and yet he called her by her first name--a liberty seldom -accorded; but the charm he unconsciously exerted over women, and which -impatiently mystified other men, was in the very audacity of his -enjoyment of life, which imparted to women the precious sense of their -own youth. - -"Really?" she said, raising her hand to her hair, that he might notice -the glorious ruby. - -"Look here--I've only got a miserable thirty thousand a year, but I've -got a couple of uncles with liver trouble and a bum heart. Say the -word--I'm yours." - -While he said it with a mock-heroic air, there was in his eyes a flash -of excited admiration that she understood and was well pleased with. - -"Come, Teddy," she said, a little disappointed that he did not perceive -the ring. "To work. Take this taper." - -He took the wax, contriving to touch her fingers with feigned -artlessness. - -"I say, Rita, who's the mob here tonight? Do I know any one? I get the -place next to you, of course?" - -"Begin over there," she directed. "The Enos Bloodgoods are coming; -you've met her here." - -"I thought they were separated, or something." - -"Not yet." - -"By George, Rita, there's no one like you--serving us up a couple on the -verge." - -"That is not all--I like situations," she said, with her slow smile. - -"I like Elise; but as for the old boy, he can slip on a banana peel and -break his neck, for all I care. - -"Then there's a broker, Garraboy, Elise's brother." - -"Don't know him." - -"Maud Lille, who's written clever books--a journalist." - -"Don't know her--hate clever women." - -"Nan Charters--" - -"Who?" said Beecher, with upraised wick. - -"Nan Charters, who played in 'Monsieur Beaucaire.'" - -"Bully!" - -She smiled at his impetuousness, and continued: - -"Mr. Majendie and the Stanley Cheevers." - -"Oh, I say--not those--" - -"Well?" she said as he stopped. - -"You know the gambling story," he said reluctantly. - -"Club gossip." - -"Of course," he said, correcting himself. "One of my friends was -present. The Cheevers play a good game, a well-united game, and have an -unusual system of makes. They are very successful--let it go at that. -You don't mean to say that Majendie'll be here?" - -"I expect him." - -"He was a friend of the dad's--a corker, too. I don't know much about -those things, but isn't he supposed to be up against it?" - -Three knocks in close succession sounded on the outer door, and Garraboy -entered with an air of familiarity that was displeasing to the younger -man. The two saluted impertinently, with polite antagonism, detesting -each other from the first look. - -"Go on with the candles, Teddy," said Mrs. Kildair, signaling to the -newcomer, a young man of forty who seemed to have been born bald, -wrinkled, and heavy-eyed. The long, bald head on the thin, straight -little body, and the elongated white collar, gave him somewhat the look -of an interrogation-mark. He was heavily perfumed. - -"What's the news of the market?" she asked. - -"Another odd turn--went up a couple of points," he said, looking at her -hand. Unlike Beecher, he had instantly noted the new acquisition with a -malicious smile. His thumb gave a little jerk and he added softly: -"Something new?" - -"Yes. Why should the market go up?" she said, seeming to be intent only -on the effect of the bracketed candles, that now licked the tapestried -walls with their restless tongues. - -"There's a general belief that a group of the big fellows will stand -behind the trust companies in return for certain concessions. I say," -he continued, watching the ruby ring, which instinctively she tried to -conceal from him, "I hope Elise isn't going to make a fool of herself -about Majendie." - -"Teddy, Teddy, you've forgotten the two over the plaque!" she said -aloud--and, a little lower: "She won't; don't fear." - -"I know her better," he said, without, however, betraying the slightest -brotherly agitation. "She is apt to do something crazy if anything went -wrong with Majendie. Bloodgood's a hard-skinned old brute, but if there -was anything public he'd cut up ugly." - -"I hear he's in the market." - -"Yes--on the short side, too--in deep." - -"And you?" - -He shrugged his shoulders. - -"I thought we never told secrets, Mrs. Kildair. Who else is coming? Am -I representing the element of respectability again tonight?" - -"The what?" She looked at him steadily until he turned away nervously, -with the unease of an animal. "Don't be an ass with me, my dear -Garraboy." - -"By George," he said irritably, "if this were Europe I'd wager you were -in the Secret Service, Mrs. Kildair." - -"Thank you," she said, smiling appreciatively, and returned toward young -Beecher, who was waiting by the piano with ill-concealed resentment. - -The Stanley Cheevers entered--a short, chubby man with a bleached, -vacant face tufted with mustache and imperial, devoid of eyebrows, with -watery eyes that moved slowly with the motion of his gourd-like head; -Mrs. Cheever, voluble, nervous, over-dressed, young with the youth of a -child and pretty with the prettiness of a doll. - -Beecher, who knew them, bowed with a sense of curiosity to Mrs. Cheever, -who held him a little with a certain trick she had of opening wide her -dark, Oriental eyes; and dropped, with a sense of physical discomfort, -the hand that Cheever flabbily pressed into his. - -"Decidedly, I am going to have a grand little time by myself," he said -moodily. "Where the deuce does Rita pick up this bunch?" - -The Enos Bloodgoods were still agitated as they entered. His lips had -not quite banished the scowl, nor her eyes the scorn. - -"Permit me, my dear," he said, taking off her wrap, and the words struck -those who heard them with a sudden chill. - -He was of the unrelenting type that never loses its temper, but causes -others to lose theirs, immovable in his opinions, with a prowling walk, -a studied antagonism in his manner, while in his bulgy eyes was an -impudent stare which fastened itself like a leech on the person -addressed, to draw out his weakness. - -Elise Bloodgood, who seemed tied to her husband by an invisible leash, -had a hunted, resisting quality back of a certain desperate dash which -she assumed, rather than felt, in her attitude toward society--just as -she touched with red, cheeks that were meant to be simply the background -of eyes that were extraordinary, with a lurking sense of tragedy. - -"Rita, dear, I am almost frantic tonight," she said hastily, in one of -those intimate moments of which women avail themselves in the midst of -their enemies. - -"The last rumors are good," said Mrs. Kildair, bending over her -ostensibly to arrange her scarf. - -"Who told you?" - -"Your brother. Every one downtown believes the panic is stopped. The -market has gone up. Gunther and Snelling are Bernard's personal -friends." - -"Friends?" she said bitterly. "Yes, that's just the trouble." - -"Besides, he is coming tonight--you knew?" - -"Yes, I knew," said Mrs. Bloodgood, with a glance at her husband, who, -at the other side of the studio, seemed intent only on examining a -reliquary in carved stone. - -"Then he will tell you himself," said Mrs. Kildair, rearranging a little -ornament that made a splash of gold on the black hair of her companion. -"Be careful---don't talk too much now." - -"What do I care?" she said rebelliously. "It has got to end sometime." - -She passed her husband, her dark shoulder flinching unconsciously at his -near presence, and gave her hand to Stanley Cheever and young Beecher, -who, though utterly unconscious of the entanglements of the evening, was -struck by the moody sadness in her eyes that so strangely contradicted -the laugh that was on her lips. But as he was wondering, a little -constrained, how best to open the conversation, the door opened once -more and two women entered--Nan Charters, who arrived like a little -white cloud, vibrantly alert and pleased at the stir her arrival -occasioned, and Maud Lille, who appeared behind her as a shadow, very -straight, very dark, Indian in her gliding movements, with masses of -somber hair held in a little too loosely for neatness. - -"Oh, dear, am I dreadfully late?" said Nan Charters, who swept into the -studio the better to display her opera-cloak, a gorgeous combination of -white and gold Japanese embroideries, which, mounting above her throat -in conjunction with a scarf of mingling pinks, revealed only the tip of -her vivacious nose and sparkling eyes. - -"You are strangely early," said Mrs. Kildair, who presented Beecher with -a gesture which at the same time directed him to attend to the wraps. - -"Thank you," said Miss Charters, with a quick smile, and by an -imperceptible motion she allowed the cloak to slip from her shoulders -and glide into the waiting hands, revealing herself in a white satin -shot with pigeon red, which caused the eyes of all the women present to -focus suddenly. Garraboy, Cheever, and Bloodgood, who knew her, came up -eagerly. - -Teddy Beecher, his arms crowded with the elusive garment, which gave him -almost the feeling of a human body, bore it to the hall and arranged it -with care, pleasantly aware of the perfume it exhaled. He returned -eagerly, conscious of the instantaneous impression her smile had made on -him as she turned to thank him, a look that had challenged and aroused -him. She was still chatting gaily, surrounded by the three men, and he -was forced to occupy himself with Mrs. Bloodgood. His eyes, however, -remained on the young girl, who was listening with unaffected pleasure -to the compliments of her male audience. Something in the chivalry of -the younger man revolted at the spectacle of the sophisticated Garraboy -and the worldly appetites in the eyes of Cheever and Bloodgood. He felt -almost an uneasy sense of her peril, which was in effect an instinctive -emotion of jealousy, and, profiting by the moment in which Mrs. -Bloodgood turned to Miss Lille, he slipped to Miss Charters' side and -contrived to isolate her. - -The studio was now filled with chatter. Mrs. Kildair passed from group -to group, animating it with a word or two. With the exception of Teddy -Beecher and Nan Charters, in the several groups there was but one -question--the events of the day in the financial world and the probable -outcome of the secret conference at Gunther's. - -Every one watched the clock, awaiting the last arrival with an -impatience that was too truly founded on the safety of their personal -fortunes to be concealed. - -"The conference ended at six-thirty," said Maud Lille to Bloodgood and -Cheever; "Majendie left for his house immediately after. I had it from -the city editor on the telephone." - -"Was any statement given out?" said Cheever, who put one finger to his -lip, as he did when a little nervous. - -"None." - -"If he goes under, it means the bottom out of the market," said Cheever, -fixing his owlish stare on Bloodgood's smug face. - -"Are you long?" asked Bloodgood, turning on him with curiosity. - -"A thousand shares," answered Cheever, but in a tone that carried no -conviction. - -"He won't come," said Maud Lille obstinately. - -"If he does," said Cheever slowly, "he's pulled through and the market -ought to go up." And a second time his finger jerked up to his lips, -with the gesture of the stutterer. - -"He won't come," repeated Maud Lille. - -Bloodgood gave her a short look, trying to fathom the reason of her -belief, a question he did not care to put before Cheever. - -At this moment Majendie appeared at the entrance of the studio. The -conversation, which had been mounting in nervous staccatos, fell with -the hollowness that one sometimes feels in the air before the first -crash of a storm. By an uncontrollable impulse, each turned, eager to -read in the first indication some clue to his personal fate. - -The last arrival had opened the outer door unheard, and, profiting by -the commotion, had removed his overcoat and hat in the anteroom. - -When the rest of the party perceived him, Majendie was standing erect -and smiling under the Turkish lamp that, hanging from the balcony, cast -a mellow light on his genial, aristocratic forehead. In every detail, -from the ruddy, delicately veined cheeks and white mustache to the -slight, finely shaped figure at ease in the evening coat that fitted him -as a woman's ball gown, he radiated the patrician, but the patrician of -urbanity, tact, and generous impulses. - -"My dear hostess," he said at once, bending over Mrs. Kildair's hand -with a little extra formality, "a thousand excuses for keeping you and -your guests waiting. But just at present there are quite a number of -persons who seem to be determined to keep me from my engagements. Am I -forgiven?" - -"Yes," she answered, with a sudden feeling of admiration for the air of -absolute good humor with which he pronounced these words, mystifying -though they were to her sense of divination. - -"I think I know every one," he said, glancing around without a trace of -emotion at Bloodgood and Cheever, whose presence could not have failed -to be distasteful. "You are very good to be so lenient, and I will -accept whatever penance you impose. Are we going to have one of those -delightful chafing-dish suppers that only you know how to provide?" - -"What pride!" she murmured to herself, as he passed over to Miss -Charters with a compliment that made her and Beecher break out laughing. - -Up to the moment, the group had found not the slightest indication of -the probable outcome of the afternoon's conference. If anything, there -was in his carriage a quiet exhilaration. But the moment was -approaching when he must come face to face with Mrs. Bloodgood, who, -either in order to gain time for the self-control that seemed almost -beyond her, or that she might draw him into more immediate converse, had -withdrawn so as to be the last he should greet. Majendie perceived -instantly the imprudence of the maneuver, and by a word addressed to -Mrs. Kildair, who followed at his side, contrived to bring himself to -the farther side of the group, of which little Mrs. Cheever and Garraboy -were the other two. - -"I make my excuses to the ladies first," he said, with a nod to -Garraboy, whom he thus was enabled to pass. He offered his hand to Mrs. -Bloodgood, saying: "Grant me absolution, and I promise to do everything -I can to make you as gay as I feel now." - -Elise Bloodgood took his hand, glancing into his face with a startled -glance, and immediately withdrew, murmuring something inaudible. - -Mrs. Kildair, who with everyone had been listening to his words for the -double meaning that seemed to be conveyed, stepped in front of Mrs. -Bloodgood to cover her too evident agitation. - -"Elise," she said sharply, pressing her hand, "get hold of yourself. -You must! Everything is all right. Didn't you understand him?" - -"Ah, if he were going to die tomorrow he would never tell me," said Mrs. -Bloodgood, pressing her handkerchief against her lips. "Nothing will -ever break through his pride." - -"But he told you in so many words," said Mrs. Kildair--who, however, -didn't believe what she said. - -"He told me nothing--nothing!" - -"You must control yourself," said Mrs. Kildair, alarmed at her emotion. - -"What do I care?" - -"But you must! Listen. When I go into the dining-room don't follow me. -I will contrive to take your husband with me. Profit by the chance. -Besides, you are in no state to judge. Does Bernard look like a man who -has just been told he is ruined? Come, a little courage." - -She left her and, stepping into her bedroom, donned a Watteau-like -cooking-apron, and, slipping her rings from her fingers, fixed the three -on her pin-cushion with a hatpin. From the mirror in which she surveyed -herself she could see the interior of the studio--Nan Charters' laughing -face above the piano, where she was running off a succession of topical -songs, surrounded by a chorus of men, while Beecher, at her side, -solicitously turned the pages. - -"Teddy seems quite taken," she thought. But the tensity of the drama -drove from her all other considerations. Completely mystified by -Majendie's manner, she was studying the moment when she could throw him -together with Elise Bloodgood, convinced that from the woman she would -learn what the man concealed. - -"Your rings are beautiful, dear, beautiful," said the deep voice of Maud -Lille, who, with Garraboy and Mrs. Cheever, was in the room. - -"I never saw the ruby before," said Mrs. Cheever in a nervous voice. -"My dear, you are the most mysterious woman in the world. Think of -having a ring like that, and never wearing it!" - -"It is a wonderful stone," said Mrs. Kildair, touching with her thin -fingers the ring that lay uppermost. - -"It is beautiful--very beautiful," said the journalist, her eyes -fastened on it with an uncontrollable fascination. - -Mrs. Cheever, her lips parted, her black eyes wide with eagerness, -leaned over. She put out her fingers and let them rest caressingly on -the ruby, withdrawing them as though the contact had burned them, while -on either cheek little spots of red excitement showed. - -"It must be very valuable," she said, her breath catching slightly. - -Garraboy, moving forward, suddenly looked at the ring. - -"Yes, it is valuable--very much so," said Mrs. Kildair, glancing down. -Then she went to the door that led into the studio, and clapped her -hands: - -"Attention, everybody! Beecher and Garraboy are the chefs. Each one -must choose his scullery-maid. Mr. Majendie is to make the punch. -Everyone else is butler and waitress. Mrs. Cheever, did you ever peel -onions?" - -"Good heavens, no!" said Mrs. Cheever, delicately recoiling. - -"Well, there are no onions to peel," said Mrs. Kildair, laughing. "All -you have to do is to carry dishes or make the toast--on to the kitchen!" - -"Miss Charters, you are engaged at any salary you may name," said -Beecher, forestalling Garraboy, who was coming forward. - -"But I shall drop every dish," said Nan Charters, rising from the piano. -"I don't know anything about cooking." - -"Splendid! Then you'll make no mistakes." - -He installed her at one end of the table, and went off for the -chafing-dish. When he returned, gingerly balancing it on a silver -platter, Garraboy, profiting by his absence, was seated beside Nan -Charters, speaking in a purposely low voice. She was listening, -perfectly composed, looking straight before her with a tolerant, -uninterested smile. - -If women often can conceal their true natures from women, men seldom -deceive one another. There was a fixity in Garraboy's glance which -Beecher understood and hotly resented. But at the moment when, setting -the tray on the table, he was meditating some ill-advised remark, Mrs. -Cheever, passing by, said with ill-concealed impatience in her thin, -hurried voice: - -"Mr. Garraboy, I am sorry for you, but I have been assigned as your -assistant, and I should like to know what I am to do." - -Garraboy rose immediately, bowed with perfect suavity, and rejoined Mrs. -Cheever, who said to him something that the others did not hear, but at -which they saw him shrug his shoulders. - -"Well, what are we going to make?" said Nan Charters, with the enjoyment -that this exhibition of feminine jealousy had brought still in her eyes. - -"I don't like Garraboy," said Beecher directly. - -"Why not?" she said, smiling a little, and raising her eyebrows as -though interrogating a child. - -"Because I like you," he answered abruptly. - -Accustomed to contend with men, she was surprised by the genuineness of -his remark, which was inspired by a sentiment deeper than jealousy. She -looked at him again with that sudden second estimate which is vital. - -"He is not difficult to handle," she said carelessly, unaware of the -touch of intimacy which her reply permitted. - -"I don't like him," he said obstinately, "and I don't like his -crowd--the crowd that is here to-night. They're like a pack of wolves. -What the deuce does Rita see in them?" - -"Mrs. Kildair has generally, I should say, a very good reason for whom -she invites," she said carelessly. - -"But these Cheevers--they're impossible. How the deuce do they live?" - -"I thought Mr. Majendie very charming." - -"Oh, Majendie--yes, I except him," he said enthusiastically. "He's a -gentleman." - -"That counts a good deal with you?" she said, with a touch of raillery. - -"It does. I think a gentleman is almost the rarest thing you meet with -today," he said, holding his ground, "a gentleman in the heart. I know -only four or five." - -"Yes, you are right," she said, changing her tone. She looked at him a -third time, at the honest, boyish loyalty so plainly written on his -face, and said: "You haven't gone out much here?" - -"No; I'm just back from knocking around the world, hunting in Africa and -all that sort of uselessness." - -"Come and tell me about it sometime. - -"May I?" - -She laughed at his impetuousness, and pointed to the contents of the -chafing-dish, which had been simmering neglected; but more than once -during the operation her glance returned to the eager, earnest face. - -Meanwhile, Garraboy, at the other end of the table, assisted by Mrs. -Cheever and Maud Lille, was busy with a lobster a la Newburg. Mrs. -Kildair, having finished in the kitchen, had entered the dining-room, -where she established a sort of provisional serving-table. She called -to her side Cheever and Bloodgood, and, under the pretext of arranging -the dishes from the china-closet, kept them isolated. At this moment -Elise Bloodgood approached Majendie, who, at the rear end of the studio, -was occupied with the brewing of a punch. Natural as was the movement, -it was instantly perceived by the four or five persons vitally -interested. A moment afterward Mrs. Bloodgood passed into the bedroom; -but there was in her carriage a triumph that she did not care to -conceal. - -"He's won out," thought Bloodgood. - -"The shorts will be caught," thought Cheever. "The devil! I must -cover." - -"Has he lied to her?" said Mrs. Kildair to herself. "If everything is -all right, why should he conceal it from any one?" - -She went across the room, stopping at the punch-table. - -"Have you everything you need?" she asked. - -"Everything, thank you," Majendie answered gently; but there was in his -voice a tired note, as if some effort had suddenly exhausted him. - -"I understood what you meant," she said, looking at him not without a -little pity--an emotion which was rare with her. "Let me congratulate -you on the result of this afternoon." - -"Thank you very much for your congratulations," he said quietly, taking -her hand. "If you knew, you will understand why I was kept so late." - -As he bowed, the front of his jacket opening a little, she saw or -fancied she saw in the inner pocket a strip of green, slightly -protruding. She left him, still unconvinced, and turned to the company. - -"Everything ready, Teddy? All right. Every one sit down. Mrs. Cheever -and Mrs. Bloodgood are appointed butlers--because real work will do them -good. Sit down, sit down. I'll be back in a minute." - -As she turned to her bedroom, there came a strong ring, twice repeated. -She paused, astonished. - -"Who can that be?" she thought, frowning, and directing her steps toward -the antechamber. "No one is allowed to come up. It must be a -telegram." - -She opened the door, and Slade entered. - -"I came right up," he said directly, "because I had no success on the -telephone. You rather excited my curiosity this afternoon. Please -invite me to your party." - -The first moment of irritation was succeeded, on her part, by the -feeling of elation. The impulse that had brought Slade so unexpectedly -there was a feeling of jealousy, in which Beecher and Majendie were -confusedly mixed. - -"He wishes to watch me with his own eyes," she said triumphantly. "Very -well; he shall be well punished." - -Slade's arrival produced a moment of profound astonishment. Bloodgood -and Maud Lille exchanged quick glances, believing the meeting between -Majendie and Slade had been premeditated. Garraboy plucked Cheever -nervously by the sleeve, while Majendie, as if realizing that he was -dealing with an antagonist of a different caliber, rose with a little -nervous inflation of the chest. Rapid as had been the interim in the -antechamber, Mrs. Kildair had had time to say: - -"Majendie is here. Do you know what happened this afternoon?" - -"I do," said Slade, with malicious enjoyment, and he added: "Do you?" - -"Yes," she replied, convinced, likewise, of the falsity of his -statement. Then aloud she added: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Slade, an -impromptu guest." - -She passed with him about the table, introducing him where it was -necessary. Slade and Majendie did not offer hands; each bowed with a -quiet, measured politeness. On the contrary, when Beecher was reached, -the older man grasped the hand of the younger, and held it a moment with -a grip that, despite Beecher's own strength, made him wince. - -"Teddy, be a good boy and place Mr. Slade somewhere," she said, resting -her hand purposely on the young man's shoulder. "I'll take off my apron -and be back immediately." - -She stopped near Majendie, who had returned to the punch-table for an -extra glass, and, seeing that her movements were followed by Slade, -said: - -"Bernard, believe me, I did not plan it. I had no idea he was coming." - -"It makes not the slightest difference," he said instantly. "Mr. Slade -and I have no quarrel. Please don't worry about me." - -"You're an awfully good sort," she said abruptly. - -"That is high praise from you," he said, with a little critical smile -which showed he was not entirely the dupe of her maneuvers. - -She went into her bedroom, and, divesting herself of her apron, hung it -in the closet. Then, going to her dressing-table, she drew the hatpin -from the pin-cushion and carelessly slipped the rings on her fingers. -All at once she frowned and looked quickly at her hand. Only two rings -were there. The third one--the ring with the ruby--was gone! - - - - - *CHAPTER III* - - -Her first emotion was of irritation. - -"How stupid!" she said to herself, and, returning to her dressing-table, -began to search among the silver and ivory boxes. All at once she -stopped. She remembered with a vivid flash putting the pin through the -three rings. - -She made no further search, but remained without moving, her fingers -slowly tapping the table, her head inclined, her lips drawn in a little -between her teeth, watching in the glass the crowded table reflected -from the outer studio. - -In that gay party, one person was the thief--but which one? Each guest -had had a dozen opportunities in the course of the time she had been in -the kitchen. - -"Too much prinking, pretty lady," called out Garraboy, who, from where -he was seated, could see her. - -"Not he," she said quickly. Then she reconsidered: "Why not? He's -shifty--who knows? Let me think." - -To gain time, she went slowly back to the kitchen, her head bowed, her -thumb between her teeth. - -"Who has taken it?" - -She ran over the characters of her guests and their situations as she -knew them. Strangely enough, with the exception of Beecher and -Majendie, at each her mind stopped upon some reason that might explain a -sudden temptation. - -"And even Majendie--if he is bankrupt or running away," she thought. -"No, I shall find out nothing this way. That is not the important thing -just now. The important thing is to get the ring back. But how?" - -All at once she realized the full disaster of the situation. Slade -would never believe her; and yet, how was it possible to admit before -others who had lent her the ring? - -"What could I say to him?" she thought desperately. "No, no; I must have -the ring back, whatever happens. I won't give him that hold. I must -get it back--some way--somehow." - -And mechanically, deliberately, she continued to pace back and forth, -her clenched hand beating the deliberate, rhythmic measure of her -journey. - -In the studio, meanwhile, under the gay leadership of Majendie and Nan -Charters, the spirits of the company began to rise. The rival chefs -were surrounded by anxious admirers, who shouted laughing instructions -or protested with mock agony against the shower of red pepper. - -The ceremony had served to bring Beecher and Nan Charters on terms of -sympathetic familiarity. The young actress had the secret of what is -meant by that much abused word--charm. Her vivacious movements were all -charming. The eagerness with which her eyes seized the excitement of -the moment, the soft and yet animated tones of her voice, the most -casual gesture she made, or the most evident reply, all seemed invested -with a peculiar charm which was at the same time a delight in pleasure -and a happiness in the consciousness of pleasing. - -Beecher did not or could not conceal the empire she had so suddenly -acquired over his imagination, while Nan Charters, quite aware of what -was happening, laughingly provoked him further, a little excited beyond -the emotions of an ordinary flirtation. - -During the progress of this personal duel, which, however, every one -perceived with different emotions, Slade, placed at the middle of the -table, followed only the expressions of Bernard Majendie, his scrutiny -at times becoming so insistently profound that the banker several times -noticed it with a swift glance of annoyed interrogation, which, however, -did not alter in the least the fixity of the other's gaze. - -Meanwhile, two or three conversations, expressed in snatched phrases, -took place between those whose interests in the stock market were put in -jeopardy by the mystery as to Majendie's fate. - -"There'll be a rush of the shorts to cover tomorrow, if this is true," -said Cheever in a low whisper to his wife. "Pump Mrs. Bloodgood all you -can." - -"How quick do you suppose they'll give the news out?" said Bloodgood to -Garraboy. "It means a buying movement as soon as they do." - -"Any paper may have the news tomorrow," said the broker, and the glass -that he took from the punch-table shook as he raised it. - -"Do you think Slade knows?" - -"I'm not sure--but I think he does," said Garraboy carefully. "Better -meet me at the Waldorf at eleven. I'll get another line on it by then." - -"Why the deuce should he pull through?" said Bloodgood, with a quick, -dull fury. - -Garraboy, with his malicious smile, perceiving that Bloodgood's hatred -was purely financial, chuckled to himself, took a couple of glasses in -rapid succession, and returned to the table under perfect control, not -without a scowl at the other end of the table, where Nan Charters and -young Beecher were laughingly disputing the possession of the -pepper-shaker. - -A moment later, as Mrs. Cheever was exclaiming at their hostess' -prolonged delay to Garraboy, who was dipping into the lobster a la -Newburg, which he was preparing to serve, Mrs. Kildair slipped into the -room like a lengthening shadow. Her entrance had been made with -scarcely a perceptible sound, and yet each guest was aware of it, at the -same moment, with the same uncontrollable nervous start. - -"Heavens, dear lady," exclaimed Garraboy, with a twitch of his arms. -"You come in on us like a Greek tragedy. What is the surprise?" - -As he spoke, Beecher, looking up, saw her turn suddenly on him, drawing -her forehead together until the eyebrows ran in a straight line. - -"I have something to say to you all," she said in a quiet, discordant -voice, while her eyes ran restlessly through the company with a -predatory sharpness. - -There was no mistaking the gravity in her voice. Garraboy extinguished -the oil-lamp, covering the chafing-dish clumsily with a disagreeable -tinny sound; Mrs. Cheever and Mrs. Bloodgood swung about abruptly; Maud -Lille rose a little from her seat; Nan Charters, dramatically sensitive, -seized unconsciously the arm of young Beecher; while the men, with the -exception of Slade, who still watched Majendie like a terrier, imitated -their movements of expectancy with a clumsy shuffling of the feet. - -"Mr. Bloodgood." - -"Yes, Mrs. Kildair?" - -"Kindly do as I ask." - -"Certainly." - -She had spoken his name with a peremptory positiveness that was almost -an accusation. He rose, placing his napkin carefully at the side of his -plate, raising his short eyebrows a little in surprise. - -"Go to the vestibule," she continued, immediately shifting her glance -from him to the others. "Are you there? Shut the sliding doors that -lead into the studio. Lock them. Bring me the key." - -He executed the order without bungling, while the company, in growing -amazement, fascinated, watched his squat figure returning with the key. - -"You've locked it?" she said, making the question an excuse to bury her -glance in his. - -"As you wished me to." - -"Thanks." - -She took from him the key, and, shifting slightly, likewise locked the -door into her bedroom through which she had come. - -Then, transferring the keys to her left hand, seemingly unaware of -Bloodgood, who still composedly awaited her further instructions, her -eyes studied a moment the possibilities of the apartment and then -returned to her guests. - -"Mr. Cheever," she said abruptly. - -"Yes, Mrs. Kildair." - -"Put out all the candles except the candelabrum on the table." - -"Put out the lights?" he said, rising, with his peculiar nervous -movement of the fingers to the lips. - -"At once." - -Mr. Cheever, in rising, met the glance of his wife, and the look of -questioning and wonder that passed did not escape the others. - -"But, my dear Mrs. Kildair," cried Nan Charters, with a little nervous -catch of her breath, "what is it? I'm getting terribly worked up." - -"Miss Lille," said Mrs. Kildair's undeviating voice of command, while -Beecher placed his hand firmly over his companion's, which had begun to -open and shut in nervous tension. - -The journalist, more composed than the rest, had watched the proceedings -from that shadowy calm which had made her presence almost unnoticed. -Now, as though forewarned by professional instinct that something -sensational was hanging on the moment, she rose quietly with almost a -stealthy motion. - -"Put the candelabrum on this table--here," said Mrs. Kildair, after a -long moment's confrontation. She indicated the large round table on -which the punch-bowl was set. "No, wait. Mr. Bloodgood, first clear -off the table, cover and all; I want nothing on it." - -As Bloodgood started to remove the punch-bowl, Majendie rose quickly and -took the heavy candelabrum from the hands of Maud Lille, saying: - -"Permit me; that's rather heavy for you." - -"But, Mrs. Kildair--" began Mrs. Cheever's voice, in shrill crescendo. - -Mrs. Kildair, as though satisfied by her examination of the journalist, -nodded to Majendie, and, perceiving the mahogany table clear, said -without notice of Mrs. Cheever: - -"Good! Now put the candelabrum down on it." - -In a moment, as Cheever proceeded lumberingly on his errand, the -brilliant cross-fire of lights dropped away in the studio, only a few -smoldering wicks winking on the walls, while the high ceiling seemed to -recede as it came under the sole dominion of the three candles bracketed -in silver at the head of the bare mahogany table. - -"Now listen!" said Mrs. Kildair, and her voice was cold and abrupt. "My -ring has just been stolen!" - -She said it suddenly, hurling the news at them, and waiting ferret-like -for some indication in the chorus that broke out. - -The hand that Beecher still grasped shot out from him as though it had -been stung. For the first time, Slade, forgetting Majendie, wheeled -brusquely and concentrated his glance on Mrs. Kildair, who listened -unmoved to the storm of exclamations: - -"Stolen!" - -"Oh, my dear Mrs. Kildair, not that!" - -"Stolen--by Jove!" - -"Rita dear!" - -"What! Stolen--here--tonight?" - -"The ring has been taken in the last twenty minutes," continued Mrs. -Kildair, in the same determined, chiseled accents. "I am not going to -mince words. The ring has been taken, and one of you here is the thief. -This is exactly the situation." - -For a moment nothing was heard but an indescribable gasp, while each, -turning by an uncontrollable impulse, searched the face of his -neighbors. Suddenly Slade's deep bass broke out: - -"Stolen, Mrs. Kildair?" - -"Stolen," she replied quietly, meeting his inquisitorial glance. - -"Have you searched very carefully?" said Majendie. "Mistakes are easily -made. It may have slipped to the floor. Are you certain that it has -been taken?" - -"Exactly. There is not the slightest doubt," said Mrs. Kildair, -conscious of the almost admiring suspicion in Slade's glance. "Three of -you were in my bedroom when I took off my rings, placed a hatpin through -them, and fastened them to the pin-cushion. Am I correct, Mr. Garraboy?" -she added abruptly. - -"Perfectly so," said the broker, staring ahead with a sudden -consciousness of his dilemma. He added punctiliously; "I was there." - -"With the exception of Mr. Slade, each of you has passed through my -bedroom a dozen times. The ring is gone, and one of you has taken it." - -Mrs. Cheever gave a little scream and reached heavily for a glass of -water. Mrs. Bloodgood said something inarticulate, covering her heart -with her hand in the muffled outburst of masculine exclamation: - -"The devil you say!" - -"Incredible!" - -"I saw it." - -"By Jove! A nasty mess." - -Only Maud Lille's calm voice could be heard saying: - -"Quite true. I was in the room when you took them off. The ruby was on -top." - -Mrs. Cheever sought to add her testimony, but was incapable of speech. -In her agitation she spilled half of the glass of water as she put it -down from her lips. - -"Was the ring valuable?" said Slade carefully, with a quiet enjoyment. - -Their eyes met a moment--a look incomprehensible to the others. - -"It was worth over fifteen thousand dollars," Mrs. Kildair answered, in -the buzz of astonishment. - -"And what are you going to do about it?" - -"I have not minced words," she said, turning her eyes to Maud Lille and -back to Garraboy. "There is a thief, and that thief is here in this -room. Now, I am not going to stand on ceremony. I am going to have -that ring back in one way or another--now. Listen to me carefully. I -intend to have that ring back, and, until I do, not a soul shall leave -this room." - -"A search?" said Slade quietly. - -"No," she said instantly, tapping on the table with her nervous -knuckles. "I don't care to know the thief--all I want is the ring. And -this is the way I am going to get it." She stopped for another quick, -searching glance, and continued with cold control: - -"I am going to make it possible for whoever took it to restore it to me -without possibility of detection. The doors are locked and will stay -locked. I am going to put out the lights, and I am going to count one -hundred--slowly. You will be in absolute darkness; no one will know or -see what is done, and I give my word that I will count the full hundred. -There will be no surprise, no turning up of lights. But if, at the end -of that time, the ring is not placed here on this table, I shall -telephone for detectives and have every one in this room searched. Am I -clear?" - -The transfer of the candelabrum to the further table had left those of -the diners who had remained by the dinner-table in half obscurity. -Instantly there was a shifting and a dragging of chairs, a confused -jumble of questions and explanations. - -Nan Charters for the second time seized the arm of Teddy Beecher. She -murmured something which he did not hear. He glanced at her face, and -for a moment an incredible suspicion crossed his mind. But the next, as -he glanced down the table at the totally unnerved attitude of Mrs. -Cheever and Mrs. Bloodgood, he understood better the agitation of his -companion. - -"Do you suspect any one?" he whispered, by an impulse that seemed to -spring into his mind. - -The young actress turned to him with almost an expression of terror in -her eyes, which at the same time implored him to be silent. - -"She knows something," he thought, with a somber feeling. His own face -was flushed. He felt that to all he must appear guilty. "Every one -feels the same," he thought, looking again at his companion, who was -gazing with almost frightened intensity straight ahead of her. - -He followed her glance, and saw that the object of her gaze was none -other than Mrs. Enos Bloodgood, who still held her hand pressed over her -breast, her lips parted as though suffocating with emotion. But, before -he had time even to consider the bearing of this discovery, Mrs. -Kildair's voice, firm and unrelenting, cut short the confusion. - -"Every one come to this table, please. Take your places here," she -said, and to emphasize the command she rapped sharply for order. - -In the bustle that took place, Beecher was separated from Miss Charters, -and when he found himself at the table she was opposite him, her eyes on -the table. - -"Can you make a little room?" he heard Maud Lille's low voice say, and, -drawing away from Cheever, who was on his right, he allowed the -journalist to take her place beside him. - -Majendie was on the left of Mrs. Kildair, Slade next to him, sweeping -the table slowly with his direct, lowering glance, his lips slightly -pursed. Bloodgood, his hands sunk in his pockets, stared bullishly -ahead, while between Cheever and his wife there passed a covert, -terrible glance of interrogation. Garraboy, with his hands locked over -his chin, arms folded, looked straight ahead staring fixedly at his -hostess. - -Mrs. Kildair, having assured herself that all was arranged as she -desired, blew out two of the three candles, which suddenly caused the -eyes on the dim faces to stand out in startled relief. - -"I shall count one hundred--no more, no less," she said quietly. -"Either the ring is returned or every one in this room is to be -searched. Remember." - -She motioned to Slade, who, leaning over, blew out the remaining candle, -while a little hysterical cry was heard from Mrs. Cheever. - -The wick shone a moment with a hot, glowing spire, and then everything -was black. Mrs. Kildair began to count. - -"One--two--three--four--five--six--seven--eight--nine--ten--" - -She gave each number with the inexorable regularity of a clock's -reiterated note. - -"Eleven--twelve--thirteen--fourteen-- fifteen--sixteen--seventeen--" - -In the room every sound was distinct--the rustle of a shifting dress, -the grinding of a shoe, the deep, slightly asthmatic breathing of a man. - -"Twenty-one--twenty-two--twenty-three-- -twenty-four--twenty-five--twenty-six--" - -The counting went on, without the slightest variation, with a methodic, -rasping reiteration that began to produce almost an hypnotic effect on -the imaginations held in suspense. - -"Thirty--thirty-one--thirty-two--thirty-three--" - -A slight rasping breath was heard, and then a man nervously clearing his -throat. - -"Thirty-nine--forty--forty-one--forty-two--" - -Still nothing had happened. No other sound had broken in on the -strained attention of every ear. Yet the voice that counted did not vary -in the slightest measure; only the sound became less human, more -metallic. - -"Forty-seven--forty-eight--forty-nine-- fifty--fifty-one--fifty-two--" - -A woman had sighed--Mrs. Bloodgood next to him--the sigh of a woman -yielding up consciousness to pain. - -"Fifty-four--fifty-five--fifty-six--fifty-seven ---fifty-eight--fifty-nine--sixty--sixty-one--" - -All at once, clear, ringing, unmistakable, on the sounding plane of the -table was heard a quick metallic note that echoed and reechoed in the -empty blackness. - -"The ring!" - -It was Maud Lille's deep voice that had cried out. Beecher suddenly -against his shoulder felt the weight of Mrs. Bloodgood's swaying body. -The voice that counted hesitated a moment, but only a moment. - -"Sixty-two--sixty-three--" - -Several voices began to protest: - -"No, no!" - -"Light the candles!" - -"It's too much!" - -"Don't go on!" - -"Seventy-five--seventy-six--seventy-seven-- -seventy-eight--seventy-nine--" - -The sound dominated the protest. Some one began to laugh, an -hysterical, feverish laughter that chilled Beecher to the bones. He put -out his hand and steadied the body of the woman next to him. - -"Eighty-five--eighty-six--" - -"Hurry, oh, hurry--please hurry!" cried the voice of Nan Charters, and -some one else cried: - -"Enough--this is terrible!" - -"Ninety-five--ninety-six--ninety-seven-- ninety-eight--ninety-nine, and -one hundred." - -At once a match sputtered in the hands of Slade. There was a cry from -every one, and the table shivered with the weight of those who craned -forward. Then a second cry of amazement and horror. The table was -absolutely bare. The ring a second time had been taken. - -[Illustration: "In that gay party one person was a thief--but which one? -... A match sputtered. There was a cry of amazement and horror. The -table was absolutely bare"] - - - - - *CHAPTER IV* - - -For a full, strained moment not a sound escaped the company; even the -strongest natures, Slade, Majendie and Rita Kildair seemed powerless to -grasp what had taken place. Then the realization came, in a flash. -What the first thief had failed to carry through another had boldly -dared: a man or a woman, deliberately or hysterically, had seized the -opportunity that had lain there, in the darkness, between the -sixty-first second and the hundredth count. - -The match in Slade's hands burned his fingers, and went out. In the -sudden blackness a dozen cries were heard: - -"Light the candle!" - -"Turn on the electric light!" - -"Search the floor!" - -"Stolen again!" - -"Ghastly!" - -"A light! A light!" - -Another match sputtered, and one candle caught the flame and flung its -expanding circles of light around them. - -"It must have rolled to the floor," said Majendie's voice, among the -first. - -"Nonsense!" broke in Slade's powerful bass. "There are no carpets; we -would have heard it. There is a second thief here. Every one must be -searched. Mrs. Kildair, if you wish I'll call up my detective agency." - -"No," said Mrs. Kildair instantly, and her voice had regained its calm. -"I will attend to that myself." - -She went quickly to the door into the bedroom, unlocked it, passed -through, and locked it again. A moment later the impatient ring of a -telephone was heard. - -In the ill-lit studio the greatest confusion prevailed. Every one -seemed, by a common impulse, to desire to escape to the farthest ends of -the room, stumbling and bumping against one another in the obscurity. -Some instinct impelled Beecher to Nan Charters' side. He took her arm -with a strong, reassuring grip, expecting to find her still shaken with -emotion; but, to his amazement, he found her entirely collected. - -"Thank you, I am all right," she said, releasing herself, with a little -smile. - -"Are you sure?" he said doubtfully. - -At this moment, as he stood staring at her, perplexed, Slade's voice -rang out peremptorily: - -"The electric lights--some one turn on the lights!" - -He left her, and, going to the wall toward the antechamber, pressed the -three buttons embedded there. Instantly the great room was showered with -a brutal glare. Near the piano, Mrs. Cheever was sunk in an arm-chair, -in a seemingly hysterical state, while Mr. Cheever, glass in hand, was -bending over her; Mrs. Bloodgood was seated at the dining-table, her -head resting in her hands; Garraboy and Bloodgood were turning in the -middle of the floor. Only Maud Lille, stoic and alert, remained at her -original place. Slade and Majendie were carefully exploring the floor. - -Beecher did not at once return to his companion. Her sudden change -perplexed him with thoughts that he did not wish to analyze too deeply. -He expected that she would rejoin Mrs. Bloodgood; but the young actress, -as though purposely avoiding her, went finally to where Maud Lille was -standing, and said, with a command that startled Beecher: - -"Mr. Majendie, there is always a chance that the ring may have rolled -off the table and been caught in somebody's dress. Such things have -happened again and again. I suggest that every woman make a careful -search." - -"Miss Charters is quite right," said Majendie, who, advancing to the -middle of the studio, repeated the suggestion. "The situation is -frightful; we must take every precaution to avoid the chances of an -accident." - -The four women immediately began to examine the ruffles and draperies of -their skirts--without success. - -All at once the door at the back of the room opened, and Mrs. Kildair -reappeared. - -"I shall have the detectives here--a man and a woman--within half an -hour," she said. "There is nothing to do but wait." - -She seated herself in a chair near the door, her hands stretched out -over the arms, her head lowered. Every one sat down, with the exception -of Maud Lille, who, however, shifted a little so as to have the support -of the piano. No one spoke; the situation had passed beyond comment. - -On the dining-table the little alcohol-lamp under a chafing-dish burnt -itself out unnoticed. At the end of thirty-five minutes, during which -every one had been intent on the torturous progress of the clock, a -sudden buzz was heard. - -Mrs. Kildair rose and, passing out by way of the bedroom, was heard -talking behind the closed doors that led into the hall, a sound followed -by the indistinguishable jumble of voices. - -A nervous five minutes, and she reappeared, with the same -incomprehensible calm that had marked her during the period in the dark. - -"The women will go into the bedroom," she said, without variation of her -voice. "The men will be searched in the dining-room." - -"One moment," said Slade, taking a step in advance. - -Mrs. Kildair turned with a start, the first agitation noticeable. - -"It is absolutely necessary for me to keep an appointment at ten -o'clock," he said, glancing at the clock, which stood at the last -quarter. "As I was not here when the ring was first stolen, I ask the -privilege of being examined the first." - -At this there was a murmur, and Mrs. Kildair hesitated. - -Slade, giving a disdainful shoulder to the protest, strode deliberately -to Mrs. Kildair and spoke with her in a low voice. At the end of a -moment Mrs. Kildair nodded as though convinced, and, going to the -folding doors, unlocked them. Outside a man in a dark business suit, as -grimly correct as an undertaker, was waiting with folded arms. - -Slade bowed and passed into the hall, shutting the doors behind him, -while Mrs. Kildair came back slowly, evidently running over in her mind -the order of selection. - -"Mrs. Bloodgood," she said finally, "will you go first?" - -Mrs. Bloodgood, surprised at the formal appellation, rose hastily, and -started blindly for the vestibule through which Slade had passed. - -"In my bedroom, please," said Mrs. Kildair. - -The young woman checked herself, faltering a little, and entered the -bedroom, where, for a moment, could be seen the drab figure of another -woman, ornamented by a little toque with a red feather. - -"Mrs. Kildair," said Majendie, rising, "it is equally important for me -to leave as soon as possible. While I know that I ask a favor, possibly -all of you know that my affairs are at a vital stage, and I should -appreciate it very much if there were no objection to my being examined -the next." - -He turned, with a courteous bow, as he concluded. - -"I am perfectly willing," said Beecher at once. - -"I am not," said Bloodgood, while Cheever made a gesture of dissent. - -"Nor I," said Garraboy. "I have my own appointment, that means a great -deal to me. I regret that I cannot accede to Mr. Majendie's request." - -"These gentlemen are quite within their rights," said Majendie, -accepting the refusal with the same courtesy. He thanked Beecher with a -smile, and added: "If you are willing, Mrs. Kildair, shall we draw lots -for it?" - -"Quite so," said Mrs. Kildair, and she arranged four slips in her -fingers and tendered them. - -Majendie drew the longest, and was, therefore, forced to wait until -Garraboy, Bloodgood, and Cheever had passed ahead. He glanced at the -clock with a sudden, uneasy look, and returned to his chair: but, for -the first time, a frown appeared on his face, while his fingers tore -into bits the slip of paper, which he did not notice he had retained. - -Beecher was unpleasantly aware that Garraboy was watching him, and this -scrutiny, which might have been inspired by a personal jealousy, struck -him as a deliberate suspicion. He returned the look with a belligerent -intensity, conscious in his own mind that he had already formed a -prejudice as to the identity of the second thief. - -"A woman might have taken the ring on impulse," he thought uneasily, -"but only a man could have had the cold daring to take it the second -time." - -He eliminated Majendie by an instinctive rejection; Slade appeared an -equally impossible solution. - -"It's Cheever, Bloodgood, or Garraboy," he thought. "And Cheever hasn't -the nerve--I don't believe it. It's Bloodgood or Garraboy--and Garraboy -is the most likely." - -Suddenly a hot, panicky feeling came to him. What if the real -thief--Garraboy, for instance--had slipped the ring into his own pocket? -He unlocked his hands and hurriedly searched his clothes. Then annoyed -at seeing this childish action come under the notice of the broker, he -shifted in his seat and glanced toward Nan Charters. To his surprise, -he found again the same indications of nervousness in the concentration -of her eye on the door leading into the bedroom. - -At this moment Mrs. Bloodgood emerged, and Mrs. Cheever went in. At -once the nervous tension of his companion seemed to relax, and she sank -back in her seat, with an indifferent glance around the room. - -"Decidedly, there is something queer between the two," he thought, -mystified. - -In the studio the same stony silence was maintained. Through the open -doors that led to the antechamber Slade reappeared, hesitated a moment -as if to reenter the studio, then bowed and went out. Behind him the -detective was seen waiting. Garraboy rose and immediately passed into -the back. - -Mrs. Bloodgood had taken her seat apart, staring ahead as though by a -difficult process of mental control, for at times her glance, despite -the consciousness of her husband's espionage, flashed over to where -Majendie was impatiently following the movements of the clock. - -When Garraboy's search had ended, he followed the precedent of Slade, -bowed without speaking, and departed; while Bloodgood, guarding the same -silence, passed into the dining-room. Maud Lille succeeded Mrs. -Cheever, who returned in the same state of agitation that she had shown -from the beginning. She started to approach her husband, when Mrs. -Kildair's controlled voice was heard: - -"Not there, please, Mrs. Cheever. Kindly sit at this side of the room -with Mrs. Bloodgood." - -Mrs. Cheever flushed instantly, and sank, or rather collapsed, in the -chair which had been indicated. - -All at once there came another ring, followed by two or three impatient -taps on the outer door. There was a sudden stir in the room, where all -nerves were clearly on the edge, and Mrs. Cheever gave a little scream. - -"I'll answer," said Cheever, rising. - -"Wait," said Mrs. Kildair. She started toward the door, and then, -changing her mind, as if unwilling to relax her surveillance of events -in the studio, stopped. "Mr. Beecher, please," she said thoughtfully. -"See who it is." And she moved slightly toward the half-drawn -portieres, to hear and at the same time to be concealed. - -Garraboy was outside, a coat on his arm. - -"Excuse me," he said, without emotion. "I took the wrong coat. Stupid -of me. Just found it out." - -"It looks like mine," said Beecher, examining it. - -"Probably is," said Garraboy, who extracted another coat of similar -appearance from the rack, plunged into his pockets and nodded. "Sure -enough. Sorry. Good night." - -So thoroughly disagreeable an impression had the broker produced upon -Beecher that, in a moment of suspicion, moved by an incredible thought, -he ran his hands hastily through the pockets. - -"I shouldn't have been surprised," he grumbled to himself, and returned -to the studio, where the conversation had been overheard. - -The search continued, ended, and, as all expected, no trace of the ring -was found. - -Mrs. Kildair excused herself, evidently maintaining her calm with -difficulty. The guests, murmuring inarticulate phrases, took their -wraps, and young Beecher found himself shortly in a coupe beside Nan -Charters. - -For several moments neither spoke, each absorbed in his own -speculations. Beecher studied the figure at his side with covert -glances, amazed at the transformation from the childlike charm which had -first fascinated him. An hour before he had begun to wonder how far -that feeling might develop in him; now, as he watched her, he was -conscious of a dispassionate, almost resentful analysis. The fragrance -of her perfume, a little too overpowering, filled the interior of the -coupe. She herself, bending slightly forward, one elbow against the -window-pane, pressed her ungloved knuckles against her chin, while her -glance, set and controlled, was lost in the cloudy shadows and striped -reflections of the street without. - -"What is terrible in such a situation," she said musingly, but without -turning, "is that any one may be suspected." - -The words were spoken with almost an absolute change of personality. -The very tone brought to him an increased antagonism. - -"Quite true," he said. "You may have taken it the first time, and I the -second." - -She turned and tried to distinguish his expression; but, if he had hoped -to startle, he was disappointed. She said, quite possessed: - -"Why do you put it that way?" - -"Because I am convinced that the second time was the deliberate action -of a man, and that the first was the impulse of a woman." - -"Why a woman the first time?" - -"That is simply my feeling. A woman would not calculate the chances of -detection, would have kept the ring on her person, and would have -restored it. What do you think?" - -"Possibly," she said, her glance returning to the street. - -"But you don't agree with me," he said, leaning a little forward. - -"I don't know." - -"Miss Charters, will you allow me to ask you a question?" - -"What? Yes." - -"Don't you know that a woman took it the first time?" - -She turned very slowly and looked at him steadily a moment. - -"I do not know," she said at last. - -"But you suspect," he persisted. - -"Do you know, Mr. Beecher, that this is a very strange question?" she -said. "Exactly what are you implying? Do you, by any chance, suspect -me?" - -She said the last words gently, with a return of the first manner which -had so held him. And again, without being able to resist, he felt the -charm on his senses. He knew absolutely nothing about her. At times -the most direct suspicions had entered his mind; never-the-less all at -once he heard himself answering: - -"I know nothing in the world about you, Miss Charters, but my instinct -tells me that is absolutely impossible." - -"Only?" - -"Only I can not forget your agitation at certain moments." - -"Naturally; that is my temperament." - -"You are perfectly calm now, and you were perfectly calm at certain -times tonight." - -She turned suddenly in her seat and faced him, saying sharply: - -"What do you mean?" - -"May I speak frankly?" - -"I ask you to do so," she said peremptorily. - -"I think--in fact, I am convinced--that you suspect who took the ring in -the first place." - -The cab was grinding against the curb. She put out her hand hurriedly, -as if the impulse were to jump from the carriage. But immediately she -checked the movement, and turned, saying very simply and directly: - -"Do you wish to be my friend?" - -"You know I do," he said, surprised. - -"Then, if you do, and trust me, never ask that question again--or make -the slightest reference to it." - -She held out her hand. He took it, but without an answer, opened the -door, saw her to her vestibule, and returned silent and moody, turning -over again and again in his mind the sudden contradiction in her -character. - -"I wonder if she repels or attracts me most," he said, tramping over the -quiet pavements, which flung back the riotous thumping of his cane. -But, as he went aimlessly along, he felt again creeping over him the -suddenness of her charm and a certain unsatisfied restlessness to see -her again, which came to him with the faint scent of the perfume that -had clung to his coat. - -All at once he stopped. - -"I've got to get to the bottom of all this affair," he said abruptly. -"I believe she's as straight as they make 'em; I'd wager my soul on -it--but I've got to know!" - -And, boarding a surface car, he returned to Rita Kildair's. - - - - - *CHAPTER V* - - -He had arrived at the studio building and entered the lower vestibule -before he was aware of the lateness of the hour. He pulled out his -watch, and found that it was almost midnight. - -"Good heavens!" he said, taking a step back. "I quite forgot the time." -He started to go, then turned to the switchboard. "Could I telephone up -to Mrs. Kildair's apartment?" - -"Go right up, Mr. Beecher," said the hallboy, rising. - -"Are you certain?" he said doubtfully. - -"Sure. Orders is to send up any one who calls." - -A little surprised, he entered the elevator. At that moment a ring -sounded, and on the indicator the figure 4 dropped. - -"That's her floor now," said the boy, starting up the elevator. - -At the fourth he came face to face with Garraboy, who saw him with a -start of surprise and a sudden look of malice. The two nodded, without -cordiality. - -"Hello," said Garraboy, looking at him with a curious fixity which he -remembered after. "What are you doing here?" - -"What are you?" said Beecher abruptly. - -"Some valuable information to volunteer?" persisted the other, with a -deliberate accent of irony. - -"Perhaps." - -"Indeed? Then you have come to assist in restoring the ring," said -Garraboy in a low voice; and on his young, wrinkled face was a faint -glimmer of a smile. - -"Perhaps," said Beecher, flushing angrily. "Does that annoy you?" - -"Not in the least," said Garraboy drily. "On the contrary, I am -interested--exceedingly so." He lifted his hat slightly and stepped -into the elevator. - -"Now, what in the devil has he got in his mind?" thought Beecher -angrily. "And what was his idea in coming back? Nice look he gave me. -Thought he had such an all-fired important engagement that he had to -hurry away!" - -He tried the door absent-mindedly, and found it locked. A long moment -after he had pressed a second time upon the bell, the door was opened by -Rita Kildair herself, who drew back in evident astonishment. - -"You?" she said, frowning. - -"I was going to telephone," he said, a little embarrassed; "but they -told me downstairs to come up." - -"Quite right." - -"Look here, Rita," he said, with a sudden feeling of intuition. "I know -you probably think I'm a prime representative of the pinhead family, but -I'm awfully broken up by what happened. Can't I help out some way?" - -[Illustration: "'Look here, Rita. Can't I help you out some way?'"] - -"Is that why you've come?" she said slowly. - -"Of course," he said, meeting her scrutiny with a puzzled glance. - -She considered a moment and then said abruptly: - -"Go in and sit down. I'm busy at the telephone. I'll be back in a -moment." - -The studio was still blazing with the electric chandeliers, the -dining-table still crowded with the untouched dinner, with that sense of -desolation and fatigue which the aftermath of a banquet presents. -Lighted up as it was, the studio had none of the mystery that -charmed--rather, something of the cruel garishness of the white sun. - -He moved about aimlessly, arms crossed, his imagination repeopling the -room with the strongly accentuated personalities who had gathered there -an hour before, saying to himself over and over: - -"Now, why the deuce did Garraboy come back?" - -He approached the table and abstractedly took an almond and began -munching it. Then, perceiving the chafing-dish, reached over, with a -smile, and lifted the cover. But, at the moment his hand was -outstretched, his eyes, obeying some mysterious instinct, rose to a long -Venetian mirror opposite. In the clear reflection that showed the -balcony of the second floor, he distinctly beheld the head of a woman -protruding a little beyond the curtain. - -"What the deuce!" he said, covering the chafing-dish with a bang. "It -can't be Rita--who then?" - -All at once he comprehended. If the ring had not been found in the -search, it was because it had been concealed in the room, and the woman -in the balcony was a detective set to watch the trap--if the real thief -had the daring to return. - -At this moment Rita Kildair entered from the bedroom. - -"Good heavens, Rita!" he said directly. "You don't mean to say you -suspect me?" - -"What do you mean?" she said, stopping short, her glance instinctively -seeking the balcony. - -"I mean you've stuck a detective up there to see what I do the moment I -come into the studio. Good heavens! what do you think I came for?" - -"My dear Teddy," she said, frowning at the stupidity of her spy, "is -there any one who can't be suspected? Do you blame me?" - -"No, I suppose not," he blurted out. "Only, it gives a fellow a deuced -creepy feeling to have a couple of eyes looking through him from behind -the curtain. I say, why don't you search the place? The ring must be -here!" - -"That is possible, of course," she said thoughtfully, her lip between -her little teeth, an impulsive movement when she was plunged in thought. - -"Or are you waiting for the thief to come back here and try to recover -it? Of course, that's the plan." - -"There's one thing," she said, with a quick, imperative gesture, looking -at him closely, "I want you to remember. There is nothing public to be -known. Whatever is done must be done quietly." - -"Oh, of course," he said hastily. "I say, Rita, let me try to work this -out with you--give me your confidence! I wish you would." - -She considered a moment, as though puzzled by his offer. - -"I don't think it will ever be found," she said, shaking her head and -looking at him. - -"But you suspect some one," he persisted. - -She hesitated a moment, and then shook her head. - -"No." - -The second's delay convinced him. - -"Man or woman?" - -"It is only a speculation," she answered slowly, "but I believe it was a -woman." - -"Both times?" - -"Both times." - -He took a turn, moodily disturbed, and came back. - -"Tell me this, Rita," he said. "Who else came back here tonight?" - -"Garraboy," she answered slowly, "and--Mrs. Cheever." - -"Mrs. Cheever!" he exclaimed, astonished. "Why, she was on the verge of -prostration." - -Mrs. Kildair smiled a thin, elusive smile, and was about to reply when -there came a ring at the door. - -Instantly her manner changed. Placing her finger on her lips, at the -same time sending him a glance that commanded the utmost silence, she -took his hand and led him softly from the studio, through her bedroom -into the further obscurity of the dining-room, which was lit only by the -weak reflection which filtered through from the hall. - -"Sit here, and not a sound," she said, placing her lips so close to his -ear that he felt the warm contact of her cheek. She gave him a slight -pressure of her fingers, and went back into the studio by way of her -bedroom, closing both doors. - -Beecher, left in the darkness, strained every nerve to catch the sound -that would reveal the identity of the new arrival. It seemed to him -that he heard the sound of another woman's voice, and then presently, as -a shadow came to him through the twilight of the hall, he heard Mrs. -Kildair saying: - -"--to telephone. Be back in a moment." - -The next instant she was at his side, pressing his hand to prevent the -whisper that was on his lips. They sat thus side by side for what seemed -a full five minutes before she rose and silently passed into the hall -again. Beecher remained in complete bewilderment, unable to detect the -slightest sound of the conversation that was taking place. That the -same test was being applied to the new-comer which he himself had -detected, he understood; but which one of the many guests it might be, -he could not discover. - -At the end of an interminable interval, he heard a few faint sounds, the -closing of the outer door, and presently the rustle of Mrs. Kildair's -approach. - -"Come now," she said, waiting for him in the hall. - -"Who came back then?" he asked eagerly. - -She shook her head. - -"I can not tell you--at least, not now. There are reasons why it would -not be quite fair," she said. Then, seeing his irritation, she tapped -him on the arm and added: "Listen, Teddy. It is too late to talk over -things. Run away now. Come in tomorrow at five." - -"I want to help, you know," he said, taking her hand, guiltily conscious -of the smile with which she examined him--a smile that seemed to convict -him of treason. For the moment, however, the memory of the younger -woman was dimmed. He was conscious only of the indefinite lure of -mystery which Rita Kildair always exerted over his curiosity the moment -they were alone. - -"Look here, Rita," he said impulsively, "I should think, in a case like -this, you'd want all the help you can get!" - -Her smile disappeared. She looked at him a moment with almost a -masculine penetration, and then, her smile returning, said quietly: - -"It's curious, but each person who came back here tonight came back just -to--help." - -Not only her words, but her manner, struck him with a sense of -discomfort. - -"Come in tomorrow," she said, pushing him gently toward the door. She -made a quick little motion with her fingers, looked at him with a -penetrating seriousness, and disappeared, leaving him thoroughly -confused and irritable. - -"Why, she acts as though she suspected me!" he said, remembering her -continual examination. "Who the deuce came back then? What's Garraboy -in all this? Does he suspect me, too, and has he been saying anything -to Rita? What is terrible in such a situation is that any one may be -suspected." Suddenly he perceived that he had repeated the very words -that Nan Charters had used in the coupe. - -"By George, what a rotten mess! I feel like a pickpocket already," he -said, with a sudden cold horror in his back. "Why shouldn't Rita -suspect me as well as any one else? This is no pleasure party; this is -serious--dead serious. I've got to work it out!" - - - - - *CHAPTER VI* - - -Teddy Beecher was a fair representative of the second generation. He -still retained the rugged democracy of the father who had fought his way -to a moderate fortune in the troubled regions of the coal-fields. To -him a man was a man, whatever the quality of his coat. Left an orphan -at fourteen, he had passed victoriously through boarding-school and -college without seriously troubling the peace of mind of those who were -competing for scholarship honors. He was liked because he liked every -one, not with a politic assumption, but from a veritable enjoyment of -life and men. - -After graduation, he had gone West on a ranch with several of his -classmates, for the pure love of adventure and the delights of the great -open spaces. Having thus begun his education, he continued it by -knocking about the world, with periodic excursions in search of big -game. He had known a great many types of men without knowing them in -the least, and he appealed to all women without being deeply -impressionable to their influence. His philosophy of life was very well -summed up in a remark he had made on his return to New York--that he -would probably go to work if he couldn't find anything better to do. - -When he awoke the day after Rita Kildair's party, it was with the clear -and dispassionate vision of the morning. The dramatic occurrences of -the night before flashed instantly into his consciousness, arousing all -the energy of his young curiosity. He recalled the promise to solve the -mystery he had made in a moment of enthusiasm, and with a renewed zest -began to consider how he should prove himself. - -Several things immediately rose up to perplex him in the strange and -dramatic climaxes at which he had assisted--the twisted undercurrents of -which he was still completely ignorant. Why had Garraboy, and then Rita -Kildair, adopted an attitude of suspicion toward him when he had -returned? For Garraboy's hostility he found a ready answer in the -mutual antagonism that had risen from the first exchange of glances; but -the reception he had received at the hands of Mrs. Kildair thoroughly -mystified him. - -"Of course, if the ring wasn't found in the search," he said, getting -out of bed and ringing for his man, "it's got to be in the studio; of -course--no way around that. Whoever took it the second time didn't get -much opportunity to hide it, either--unless it was hidden after the -candle was lit; there was a chance then--every one was stumbling around. -By Jove! I believe that's how it was done. But then, why the deuce -should more than one person return?" - -He stopped and suddenly remembered his own return. - -"That's so; a man might come back to offer help. But why a woman? And -who the deuce came back after I did--Miss Lille or Mrs. Bloodgood?" - -At this moment the door opened on Charles, whom he had inherited with -one half of the luxurious apartment from Freddie Duyckerman, who had -gone to England for the hunting season. - -"Your bath is ready, sir," he said, standing with that perfectly vacuous -expression which had been carefully trained to express neither joy, -grief, hilarity, nor the natural surprise which he might have -experienced at beholding his master, brush in hand, standing -absent-mindedly before a great copper platter that was near the window. - -"Telephone up to the stables; I'll take Judy to-day," said Beecher, -passing into the bathroom. - -A touch of the cold shower set his nerves to tingling and sent his mind -to recalling pleasantly the pretty faces of the evening before, after -the manner of young gentlemen of leisure with a proper share of vanity. -Two figures rose immediately--Rita Kildair and Nan Charters. He -remembered them both without excitement, but with different emotions. - -"By George, Rita's a thoroughbred," he said. "She has them all -beat--mysterious as a sphinx. Prettiest sight in the world, seeing her -manipulate a crowd. Jove, but she has nerve!" Then he reflected a -little guiltily that he had rather deserted her for other shrines, and -he resolved enthusiastically to make amends by throwing himself, heart -and soul, into the recovery of the ring. - -"By George, it's something to have the confidence of a woman like that!" -he exclaimed, sublimely fatuous. "That old mammoth of a Slade would -give ten years of his life, I'll bet, to stand where I do with her." - -Then he remembered Nan Charters, with a little movement of impatience at -the thought of his sentimentality. - -"What the deuce got into me last night?" he said, displeased with -himself. "I acted like a school-boy. I suppose she thinks she's got me -on her scalp-belt--easy as a stage-door Johnny. What the deuce got me -wabbling so? These actresses are full of tricky stuff." - -He resolved that he would show her his complete indifference by not -calling for at least a week, maybe two, and concluded, with profound -penetration: - -"Good game. She'll remember how I started in, and wonder what changed -me. That's it--keep 'em guessing." - -He went into the dining-room, where the coffee was boiling in the -percolator, and sat down, after assuring himself by a trip to the -opposite bedroom that Bo Lynch was still sleeping the profound sleep of -the unjust.. - -But hardly had he begun on the iced grape-fruit when a lank figure in -peppermint pajamas appeared at the doorway, brushing from his -sleep-laden eyes the long wisps of hair which, carefully treasured to -conceal the bare upper regions, now hung about his sharp, supercilious -nose. - -"Why the devil don't you breakfast with a chap?" he said, emerging. - -"Hello, Bo," said Beecher pleasantly. "Up till four or five, training -for your polo match this afternoon?" - -"Well, Fontaine was there; we call it pairing off." - -"Auction?" - -"Yes, damn it. I cut that little wild ass of a Plunket six times -running. He'd gamble away his grandmother on a couple of aces. I say, -Teddy," he continued, with a little more animation, emptying a bottle of -mineral water which Charles, knowing what might be termed the regularity -of his habits, had set out for him, "do you ever try a flier in the -market?" - -"I have been such a fool." - -"Look here; I've got a sure thing. Eddie Fontaine gave it to us last -night--in dead secrecy, of course. Worried it from the old man, and you -know old man Fontaine is the real thing. The whole Atlantic Trust -business was patched up at a conference yesterday afternoon. Majendie's -to get all the backing he needs." - -"Well, what of that?" - -"Why, you ignoramus, that means the banks have let up on the trust -companies and are coming to the support of the market. Everything's -'way down below where it ought to be. Stocks'll go up twenty points in -two weeks. I've taken another thousand of Northern Pacific myself. -Better get in on it." - -"Thanks; I'll circulate my money on a horse-race--something I know -about. By the way, Majendie was there last night." - -"He was, was he?" said Lynch, with more animation. "How did he seem?" - -"Cool as a cucumber," said Beecher, who, however, was surprised to find -how little he remembered of any one else's conduct. "I was in at one of -Mrs. Kildair's affairs. By the way, Nan Charters was there." - -"Oh, was she?" said Lynch sleepily, hesitating between the call of his -bedroom and the cooling aspect of the waiting grape-fruit. - -"Know anything about her?" asked Beecher, perceiving he would gain -nothing by indirection. - -"Never met her," said Lynch. "Charlie Lorraine was crazy about her a -couple of years ago. We thought he was going to marry her. I believe -they were engaged, or had an understanding." - -"No scandal?" - -"Oh, she's perfectly straight. Charlie's a good proposition, but that -didn't seem to hurry her any. She has a lot of 'em buzzing after her." - -"I say, Bo," said Beecher suddenly, "did you ever run up against a -fellow called Garraboy?" - -"What's he do?" - -"He's a broker." - -Lynch reflected, yawning behind his hand. His occupation in life was -supposed to be stocks and bonds, according to the city register. - -"Nope, never heard of the fellow." - -"Who'd know at the club?" - -"Ask Jack Lindabury or Tom Bovee. Well, ta-ta; I'm going to sleep out a -bit for the match. Tell Charles to default me to the manicure and the -scalpist," said Lynch, who termed thus the prim, middle-aged person who -had guaranteed to preserve his numbered hairs. "By the way, how about a -little bet on the match? I'll give you six to five." - -"Done for fifty," said Beecher obligingly. - -"See you at luncheon," said Lynch, who was soon heard plunging heavily -into bed. - -Beecher belonged, without yet being one of them, to that set who live -what in England is called a gentleman's life--racing, hunting, playing -polo, seeking the sensations of big game or big fish, rather courting -danger, drinking hard as a matter of pride, on the theory of the -survival of the fittest, consuming the night in battles of cunning and -physical endurance at the card-table. Beecher had returned to this -society partly because most of his friends "belonged," partly because, -being an idler himself, he liked their busy days dedicated to sensation, -and their curious standards of what was and what was not permitted to be -done. He had not as yet plunged into the whirl, being more curiously -interested in the various sides of New York life that opened before him. -He preserved, in the midst of the nervous American excess of his -companion, a certain old-world moderation. He entered their card games -in a desultory way for an hour or two at a time, but without that -engulfing, brutal passion for mastery which kept Bo Lynch at the -card-tables until dawn. When he joined a group at the bar, he drank -with them as long as he wished and no longer--a difficult matter where a -withdrawal usually was greeted with taunts; but there was about Beecher, -young as he was, an atmosphere of authority which came from having -proved himself among men the world over. - -He was rising from the table when the telephone rang, and, mindful of -his afternoon engagement with Rita Kildair, he refused an invitation to -join a party to the polo match. A call from Bruce Gunther urged him to -be one of a gay party of six, bent on a lark for the evening. - -He enjoyed a furious gallop in the park, dressed, and swung alertly up -the Avenue to his club for luncheon. - -There, all the talk was of the stock market which had gone up several -points on the morning's tradings. Bo Lynch and Eddie Fontaine -buttonholed him and besought him to avail himself of the opportunity: it -was the chance of a lifetime, the crisis was over, stocks simply had to -go up. The friends of Majendie, who was one of the directors of the -club, were relieved and jubilant. He had weathered the crisis; there -was nothing more to fear. The story which was told from lip to lip as -being direct from headquarters was, that at the meeting on the afternoon -before, Fontaine had declared, with his fist on the table, that he would -never be a party to any movement that would jeopardize the future of his -lifelong friend, Bernard Majendie. Some who still clung to the short -interest even added, with an air of knowing more than they could tell, -that the attack would now be concentrated on the Associated Trust with -the intention of making an example of John Slade, a Western intruder who -was protected by no ties of association and friendship. - -Beecher, true to his habits of caution, laughingly refused all offers to -double his fortune. Bruce Gunther drew him aside, outlining his program -for the evening. - -The thought of Nan Charters came into Beecher's mind, and he wondered -curiously if she would be there. - -"I say, Bruce, what's all this hip-hurrah?" he asked as Gunther led him -to the dining-room and they took seats at the long mahogany table. "Has -Majendie really pulled through? Is the story true about Fontaine? -Would you go into the market?" - -"They tell it on Fontaine now, do they?" said Gunther, with a short -laugh. "It started with my old man, but I guess he was too tough a -weight to carry. Ted, I don't know any more than you, but I know -this--keep out." - -"My opinion," said Beecher, nodding to a new arrival. - -Bruce Gunther was his closest friend--a chum from boarding-school days. -He was a stocky, rather ugly type, direct to the point of rudeness, with -more than a trace of his father's power. Gunther Senior had, from a -long and merciless examination of men, come to regard youth as a natural -malady, an ebullition of heated blood to be lived down before a man was -fit for great opportunities and the vision of great affairs. When young -Gunther was graduated, he called him to his desk, wrote him out a check, -and told him to take five years, sow his oats, and be through with -it--at the end of which time his career would begin at the bottom of the -great banking offices of Gunther & Company, New York, London, and Paris. -Young Gunther was now completing the last year of his contract with a -compressed savageness that would have wrecked any but the strongest -constitution. At heart he awaited the end of his holiday with a feeling -of relief and enthusiasm. He was quite unspoiled, and a terror to -sycophants and boot-lickers. It was these sturdy, passionate qualities -of energy and directness in him that had attracted Beecher. - -"Bruce, I'm on a very curious chase," he said, pushing back from the -table, "and I want your help. It's too long and too confidential to tell -you now. But two things I wish you would do for me: find out all you can -quietly about two men--Enos Bloodgood and a fellow called Garraboy, a -broker." - -"Garraboy--the brother-in-law?" said Gunther instantly. They left the -table and went for cigars and coffee to the first room, to a window that -gave on the Avenue. "I know him. He was blackballed here a couple of -years ago. There were some ugly stories about him; I'll look 'em up. -Bloodgood's another matter. I have heard rumors he was hard hit by the -market. It's easy enough; I know several men I can call up. Can't you -tell me the whole thing now?" - -When Beecher had finished, Gunther remained a long moment immersed in -reflection. - -"By the Lord Harry, that is a problem," he said, suddenly waking up. -"The dickens of a tangle! What the deuce was Slade doing there?" He -relapsed into silence again, and as suddenly said decisively: "You're -wrong on one point, Ted. It's not Garraboy or Bloodgood we ought to -suspect first; it's Cheever--the Cheevers." - -"How the deuce are we going about it?" said Beecher. - -"I suppose Mrs. Kildair wants the whole thing kept quiet," said Gunther, -rapping absent-mindedly on the arm of his chair. - -"Naturally; besides, I promised." - -"Of course. Well, we'll begin in a practical fashion. You don't mind -spending a little money, do you?" - -"I expect to." - -Gunther rose and went to the telephone booths, where he remained for -some time. - -"Half-past six in my rooms, Ted," he said, returning. "I'll put you up -against the most interesting character in the United States--a real -detective. Dress and come over." - -"But the girls," objected Beecher, remembering their engagement. - -"The girls can go hang," said Gunther, shrugging his shoulders. "They -can always wait half an hour. This is something real." - -At five o'clock Beecher called on Mrs. Kildair, and found her out, to -his considerable vexation. The bell-boy gave him a little note, which -he opened and read: - - -DEAR TEDDY: - -Forgive my breaking my engagement. All sorts of sudden and exciting -things have crowded in on me to-day. Come to-morrow for luncheon. - -RITA. - -P.S. Remember--nothing public about last night! - - -The prospect of a tete-a-tete with Mrs. Kildair appeased him somewhat, -but his anticipations for the afternoon were sorely disappointed, and he -started aimlessly back, with a feeling that a great hole had been made -in the day. As he reached the corner, a red automobile cut in close to -the curb, causing him to step hastily back. Inside he recognized Slade. -He watched the red machine come to a stop before Mrs. Kildair's and then -whirl away, after depositing the massive figure of its owner. Beecher, -with a little wounded vanity, lingered a moment, hoping to see him -reappear; but, as the sidewalk continued empty, he was forced to -conclude that he had come by appointment. - -"She might at least have seen me," he said angrily. "What the deuce has -she got to see Slade for?" - -All at once he perceived that his steps had led him in the general -direction of the quarter in which Nan Charters resided, and, as he had -come to make an impression on one woman, he soon began to consider -transferring his attack on another. Only, he remembered that he had -determined to treat Miss Charters with indifference, to correct any -erroneous ideas that she might have formed from his previous impulsive -conduct. - -"That's so," he said, angry now at himself, at her, and at a condition -of affairs that left him with an hour of idleness on his hands. "If I -call now, she'll think I'm hot on the trail. I could stop, though, and -inquire about her health," he thought, hesitating; "that would seem -natural, after last night." - -But he rejected this as a subterfuge, and continued his slow, uneven -progress down Seventh Avenue, which he had selected at random in search -of a little oddity and interest; and gradually he recognized that the -vexation he felt was, in reality, not at being unable to find an excuse -for calling on Miss Charters, but the keen sense of disappointment he -had in missing an intimate hour with Rita. - -It was essentially the woman of the world in her that fascinated him, -the woman of mysterious experience, of sure knowledge and complete -command of situations. He wished to increase the intimacy of his -position, because to be favored by her meant something--something that -awoke his masculine sense of supremacy and fed his vanity. Determined -on a long bachelorhood that would open to him all sorts and conditions -of society and adventurous experiences, he had determined likewise to -avoid the dangerous field of young girls of his own set and to exercise -his curiosity with women of the world--older women, professional women, -with whom an impulsive infatuation brought no risks, but something to be -taken at value, a mood that was charming because it would pass. - -All at once an idea came to him that reconciled his easily satisfied -conscience and appeared sublimely politic. He would drop in on Nan -Charters, just to show his indifference. - -"I'll stay fifteen minutes--be quite formal and a little bored," he -said, chuckling. - -And he went without too much enthusiasm toward his destination, thinking -of Rita Kildair and planning in his imaginative mind a series of -confidential conversations for the tete-a-tete on the morrow. - -"To see Miss Charters," he said, giving his card to the boy in the -elevator, who turned it over doubtfully, hesitated, and disappeared like -a float in an opera, mounting heavenward. - -Beecher ceased to think of Rita Kildair, and prepared himself, smiling -astutely, for his approaching scene with the young actress whom he -intended properly to discipline for her effrontery in imagining that -he--Edward T. Beecher--had entertained for a moment any other than a -polite social interest. Miss Charters excused herself--she was lying -down and dining out. - -He cast a furious look at the telephone-booth, by means of which she -might personally have assured him of her great regret, and stalked out -in a worse temper than ever--Rita Kildair, Nan Charters, all the women -in the world consigned to perdition. - -"Confound them all!" he said, brandishing his cane. "What a lot of time -a man wastes over them. She might have telephoned me. They only exist -in this world to distract us from what we ought to do. I wonder if she -did it on purpose--just to give me an appetite. Well, if she did--she's -succeeded," he said ruefully. - -He went to his rooms, resolved to meet her at every opportunity, to -revenge himself by showing her he could play the game more cleverly than -she could; and in his angry resolve there was very little trace of the -indifference of which he had been so confident. - - - - - *CHAPTER VII* - - -Gunther had a suite in one of the newer hotels that tower over the -eastern entrance to the park. When Beecher arrived, a quiet, powerfully -built man was standing in front of the fireplace, smoking with -enjoyment. Beecher recognized immediately Cyrus McKenna, formerly of -the United States Secret Service, founder of the great detective agency -that bore his name. - -"Ted, shake hands with my good friend Mr. McKenna," said Gunther, -appearing in the doorway with a refractory collar in his grasp. -"McKenna, shake hands with Mr. Beecher. Fire away, Ted. I'll be out in -a second." - -"Glad to know you," said McKenna, grasping his hand. - -Beecher was aware of the quick, estimating scrutiny and a sense of -unusual physical vitality. But he was disappointed in his first glance -at this man whose investigations had been the terror of corrupt -politicians and unscrupulous agitators. McKenna was physically the ideal -detective, in that not a feature possessed a trace of oddity which could -betray him to the public, in which he thus mingled without fear of -recognition. He was neither short nor tall, neither thin nor unusually -heavy. His head was round, well-spaced, and evenly formed, without -affectation of mystery or astuteness, lit up by a jovial good humor when -animated, and quite blank and indecipherable when in repose. The eyes -alone, like the eyes of a painter or a sculptor seeking tones or -modelings that escape the common glance, were noticeable for a certain -quality of penetration, expressed in the countenance by innumerable fine -lines that gathered in the eye-pits. - -"Mr. McKenna," said Beecher, who had an instinctive desire to impress -the detective with the lucidity of his observations, "I will give you -quickly the details that are important. First, here is the plan of the -apartment, which may or may not be of use." - -He went to the low table-desk at the side, and drew out paper and -pencil. McKenna brought up a chair at his side, and Gunther, coming in, -sat down opposite. - -"It concerns the theft of a ruby ring worth over fifteen thousand -dollars," said Beecher, busy with his pencil, "taken last night, between -eight and eleven, at the apartment of Mrs. Rita Kildair. The -circumstances are so extraordinary that you will be interested in the -problem itself." - -The detective smiled in a slightly amused way and asked: - -"Am I retained in her interest or in yours?" - -"In mine," said Beecher quickly. "The theft took place at a social -gathering, you understand, and in the party were persons well known in -New York society. Mrs. Kildair, as is natural, particularly desires -that nothing shall become public." - -"Does she know that you intend to consult me?" - -"No--and I am not sure I wish her to know." - -"Is she employing detectives?" - -"Yes." - -"Whom did the ring belong to?" - -"To Mrs. Kildair," said Beecher, annoyed that he had forgotten this -rather important detail. - -"Let me see the plan," said McKenna, who glanced at it a moment and -nodded. "Now go on." - -"There were eleven persons present, including Mrs. Kildair," said -Beecher, after a moment's pause. McKenna took the pencil and prepared to -inscribe the list. "Myself, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Cheever--" - -"I can give you a pointer on them," said Gunther, speaking for the first -time. - -"Unnecessary," said McKenna. "I know the card episode." - -"Mr. and Mrs. Bloodgood." - -"Mrs. Bloodgood--yes." - -"Mr. Garraboy." - -"Joseph L. or Edward C., the broker?" - -"The broker. Miss Nan Charters." - -"The actress--yes." - -"Miss Maud Lille." - -"Know anything about her?" - -"She's a journalist; writes books too, I believe." - -"Well?" - -"Bernard L. Majendie and John Slade." - -The detective raised his eyebrows in surprise. - -"They were there--together?" - -"They came separately. Slade joined the party at the last moment; he -was not expected." - -"A very interesting crowd," said the detective slowly, studying the -list. "What servants?" - -"None." - -"You are sure?" - -"Mrs. Kildair has only two, a Japanese butler and a lady's maid, both of -whom were out." - -"You are positive?" - -"Absolutely. The occasion was an informal supper. Mrs. Kildair, while -preparing the dishes, placed her three rings on the pin-cushion of her -dressing-table--at this point here on the plans--fastening them with a -hatpin. The table, as you see, can be easily seen both from the studio -and the dining-room." - -"What were the circumstances of her placing the rings on the -pin-cushion? First, when did it occur? After all the guests had -arrived?" - -"Yes," said Beecher, who immediately corrected himself. "No, I'm wrong; -Slade arrived later. But, as I say, he was a surprise. Majendie was the -last of the invited party to come. Immediately afterward Mrs. Kildair -went into her bedroom to put on an apron and take off her rings." - -"Who was in the room?" - -"Mrs. Cheever, Miss Lille, and Garraboy," said Beecher slowly. - -"They saw her take off the ring?" - -"Yes; they even announced it later." - -"Was there much passing to and fro?" - -"All the time. I am quite sure every one was in the room several -times." - -"Did any one use the hall?" said the detective, indicating it on the -plan. "I see it opens into the dining-room also." - -"Quite a number," said Beecher. "I remember using it myself. We were -all going and coming, carrying dishes, glasses, bottles, provisions." - -"One question: did you notice the ring on the pin-cushion yourself?" - -"Yes; I distinctly remember seeing two or three rings, I don't remember -which." - -"Go on." - -"After about three quarters of an hour of preparation, we took our -places at the table, with the exception of Mrs. Kildair, who was still -moving about us. It was then that Slade came in, was introduced, and -took his place." - -"He did not pass into the bedroom, then?" - -"No. Mrs. Kildair went in immediately, took off her apron, and -discovered the loss of the ruby ring." - -Beecher, without further interruptions from McKenna, recounted in detail -the return of Mrs. Kildair, the locking of the doors, the extinguishing -of the lights, the announcement of the theft, the beginning of the -counting, the sound of the ring on the table, and the discovery of its -second disappearance. Then he stopped, awaiting the questioning of the -detective. - -"No; go right on," said McKenna, with a little gesture of his pencil -that dotted an imaginary _i_. - -Beecher continued, describing the lighting of the lights, the confusion -in the room, the sending for the detectives, the discussion as to the -order of search, and the failure to recover the ring. Omitting his -personal observations of Miss Charters and their conversation in the -cab, he recounted his return to Mrs. Kildair's, his meeting with -Garraboy, the discovery of the detective, the strangeness of Mrs. -Kildair's attitude, and her concealment of the identity of the next -visitor. He concluded, and both young men looked at the detective as if -they expected him to solve the problem on the instant--an attitude that -was not lost on McKenna. - -"I suppose you young men believe every word that has been written on -deduction," he said, grinning and biting off the end of another cigar. -"Presume you've already determined that a woman took the ring, and -lacked the nerve to face the risk--that the strong, daring nature of a -man seized the opportunity the second time, and, because Slade and -Majendie are millionaires and Bloodgood the respectable owner of a -newspaper, the thief is either Garraboy, a gambler in stocks, or -Cheever, with an ugly reputation." - -The two young men smiled guiltily. - -"But I say, McKenna, you don't reject deduction entirely," said Gunther. - -"Oh, no, I believe in 'deduction forward,'" said McKenna, laughing. "If -I know there's a thief in the company, I deduce he'll steal if he gets -the chance. Now, before I put a few more questions to you, let me tell -you this. My business isn't in deducing how the theft was done (I get -my man and sweat him out; he'll tell me that), but who did it; and for -that it don't take any deduction, either. Give me time, money, and no -strings on me, there isn't any crime can't be worked out." - -"But how the deuce are you going to locate a ring," said Beecher, "if -you don't know whom to follow?" - -"The ring's the easiest part," said the detective. "You may not know it, -but every stone of great value is what's called a named stone; every -jeweler knows of it. Now, there aren't many rubies worth over fifteen -thousand floating around. If you don't believe it, I'll show you how -easy it's done. Inside a week I'll give you the history of the stone -and just how it came into the hands of Mrs. Kildair." - -"You mean no one can dispose of it to a jeweler without its being -recognized?" - -"Unless he's done it within these twenty-four hours, which is quite -probable if a certain suspicion of mine isn't far wrong." - -"Deduction," said Gunther, laughing. - -"Not entirely; and, besides, that's not quite fair. It just happens that -I may be interested in a couple of persons in your party from another -tack. No, gentlemen; deduction's all right, if it's honest deduction -and if you use it in its place; but the great thing's motive. -Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, get down to your motives and you get -your criminals. Show me the person who needed to steal that ring, or who -just simply had to steal it, and you've got your man." - -"But suppose that applies to two persons there, or even three," said -Gunther, who perceived that the detective did not intend to commit -himself. - -"Possibly." - -"Or it may be the hysterical act of a woman who will never attempt to -sell the ring." - -"Possible--more than possible." - -"And then it will never be found." - -"That's right." - -"But you don't think that's the case," said Gunther. "And you have an -opinion." - -McKenna gave him a quick look of appreciation. - -"That's right; but it's not who took it, but why it was taken. In -forty-eight hours I'll know a little bit more about the habits of the -ladies and gentlemen we're dealing with, and then I'll be more -communicative." He paused, with a little pardonable pleasure in the -mystification he was preparing, and added: "In forty-eight hours I'll -give you a little story about each of the persons who were at that party -which'll beat anything in the story-telling line you ever came up -against. Now, Mr. Beecher, before we get down to questions, here's one -thing I want you to do. Find out from Mrs. Kildair what's her detective -agency. Say you've a friend who's trying to track a valet for stealing -and want a good address--see?" - -"You are not going to shadow the detectives?" said Gunther curiously. - -"You bet I am, till I know more about them," said McKenna. "Young man, -I can tell you more than twenty cases I've been on where the detective -who was called in to make a search went cahoots with the thief." - -"Detectives!" said Beecher, amazed. - -"You bet. I don't trust my own, when I've got anything that's got to be -done right. I don't trust any one man; I put two on it. My dear -fellow, the crooks that pick your pocket or break into your house are -only amateurs. The real criminal, the criminal of brains, joins a -police force, becomes a detective, a clerk, goes slowly, gets to be a -cashier or president of a bank. You think I'm joking. Not at all. Look -here; just stop and think it over, and you won't laugh. For every bank -president who takes the funds of his bank, speculates, and _loses_, how -many do you think win out and never get caught?" - -"That's so," said Gunther thoughtfully. - -"It's too big a subject," said McKenna, smiling. "I shake hands every -day with gentlemen who ought to be breaking rocks. Now, let's get back -to business. Mr. Beecher, what did you notice of any kind last night -that would make you suspect any one? I don't mean opinions, but eyes." - -Beecher hesitated an interval that did not escape the notice of the -detective. - -"Nothing," he said at last, unwilling to mention the name of Nan -Charters. He added, to cover the hesitation: "I suspected Garraboy, but -I admit there's no proof--personal dislike." - -"Why do you dislike him?" - -Beecher shrugged his shoulder and his glance went to one side. - -"Mr. Gunther, will you get me my office?" said McKenna, suddenly looking -at his watch. "You know the number." - -Gunther disappeared in the hall in search of the telephone. - -"Now, Mr. Beecher," said McKenna, smiling, "I'm like a doctor, you know. -There's no use calling me in unless you give me all the facts. What's -the name of the lady who excited your suspicion, whom Mr. Garraboy was -so attentive to, and on account of whom, I rather guess, you got -interested in this case?" - -The startled look Beecher gave him amply gratified McKenna, who -continued: - -"What's Miss Charters' position in this business?" - -Beecher admitted the correctness of the surmise with a laugh, and, -Gunther being absent, quickly recounted the different moments of Nan -Charters' agitation and the conversation in the cab. - -At this moment Gunther returned. "I say, McKenna," he said, "some one's -trying to get you on the wire." - -McKenna passed to the telephone, and almost immediately returned. - -"Look here, gentlemen," he said, "if you want to try your hand at -deduction, here's something to work on. The Clearing-house has just -refused to clear for the Atlantic Trust, Majendie's resignation has been -accepted, and tomorrow there'll be a run on every bank in the city--and -God help those who're caught in the stock market!" - - - - - *CHAPTER VIII* - - -The two young men and McKenna descended by the elevator into the lobby -of the hotel. The news of the Clearing-house's drastic action against -the Atlantic Trust was already in the scare-heads of the evening papers, -though Majendie's resignation was still unknown. The halls were crowded -with a fleet of newspapers, spread out, fluttering feverishly. -Everywhere was a suppressed murmur and nervous tension, which -occasionally exploded in exclamations when acquaintances met. The news -was indeed staggering to the little man of the Street; the great -Atlantic Trust with its hundreds of millions of deposits was on the -verge of collapse and this at the end of a period of depression and -alarm! - -As they proceeded toward the carriage entrance, Gunther stopped to speak -to one of the clerks at the desk, who, with a frightened face, came out -to seek his advice. McKenna profited by the moment to say to Beecher: - -"By the way, if you're a friend of Miss Charters', find out if she has -any money invested in Wall Street, and who she's dealing through." - -"Does it mean a panic?" said Beecher, surprised. "Do you mean she ought -to get out?" - -"Too late," said McKenna. "Find out what I asked you. I'm in a hurry. -Say good-night to Mr. Gunther for me. And, say, if you're so interested -in this case, get him to put you wise to Majendie and Mrs. Bloodgood." - -He gave a quick nod, and mingled in the crowd about the north entrance. -Beecher watched him with a feeling of disillusionment. The detective -had expressed no opinion, had brought to bear on the problem none of the -instantaneous analysis which he had expected; in fact, had deliberately -avoided even a discussion of the natural probabilities. Had this -complete reticence been associated with an individuality of impressive -oddity, he would have perhaps regarded it with respect. As it was, he -was conscious only of being defrauded as though some one were tearing -away a precious illusion. - -"There's a poor devil; got all his money tied up in the Atlantic Trust," -said Gunther, joining him and passing out to the waiting automobile. - -"The Atlantic Trust can't fail," said Beecher, amazed. "Things aren't -as bad as that." - -"Don't know. Lots of queer things have been worked lately. Anyhow, -what's bound to happen is--I should say--a receivership and closed doors -to-morrow." - -"But that means panic." - -"Sure." - -Beecher was silent a while. He thought of Majendie of the night before, -correct, restrained, prodigal of small courtesies. - -"By Jove, how game he was!" he said aloud. "I should hate to think there -was anything crooked in him." - -They had reached Forty-second Street in their smooth and rapid flight. -There, newsboys were shrieking the latest extra, dodging under the heads -of horses, swinging on the steps of surface-cars, bumping their shrill -way through the crowd, with their hysterical instinct for heightening -the effect of a sensation. - -Gunther stopped the automobile and bought a handful of papers which a -dozen urchins fought to press into his hands. On every sheet, front -page, accompanied by sudden scare-heads, was the photograph of Bernard -L. Majendie, whose resignation had been demanded and accepted. - -The two scanned the pages for additional details. Some papers hinted at -criminal actions--the district attorney had been suddenly summoned to -town. Scattered through the sheets were photographs entitled, -"Majendie's Palace on Fifth Avenue." "$100,000 Yacht of Deposed -President." "Newport Estate of Millionaire." - -"Is he a crook after all?" said Beecher, flinging down the extra. - -"No, he is not a crook," said Gunther quietly, repeating the words with -slow emphasis. "He is a speculator, a great speculator, and he has been -made the victim of greater speculators who covet his territory. Then, -there is this to be said: I doubt if at the present moment any great -public corporation would face an investigation without alarm." - -"What do you mean?" said Beecher, with his thoughts still wandering back -to the handsome, stoic features of the Majendie of the night before. - -Gunther began to speak, and, as he became serious and animated, Beecher -followed him with surprise, noting the vigor and vitality that -transformed the young idler. - -"The present era we are passing through," said Gunther, "is probably -America at its worst. We see only the gorgeous facades of things: the -skyscraper, the industries that have developed into little kingdoms. We -only try to comprehend statistics, and we are satisfied that we have -bounded into greatness. As a matter of fact, the true test of the -industrial greatness of a country is honesty. Dishonesty and graft are -economic weakness--waste. A railroad that is spending a million a year -to fight off hold-up state laws is by so much handicapped in its -function of promoting commerce by low freight rates. A corporation that -secures its franchise by bribing aldermen has taught them to blackmail -in the future. It is difficult to say where the responsibility -began--whether capital corrupted politics, or whether, in our -unscientific political system, corruption was not inevitable." - -"What do you mean by that?" - -"At this time, when our political history is one of business -development, we are over-burdened with useless offices. Aldermen and -legislators who receive on an average less than a thousand a year--often -less than it costs to be elected--are suddenly intrusted with the -responsibilities of laws and franchises involving millions. When you -ask yourself how a man is to continue a political career, support a -family, and fight a costly fight for reelection on a thousand a year, -the wonder is that any remain honest. We have not the slightest -conception of values in America; the worst paid professions are those -the vigor of the nation depends on most--the minister, the teacher, and -the legislator. There are ministers living on five hundred a year, -teachers on six hundred, legislators on less, while the carpenter or -plumber who doesn't make at least $5 a day is unorganized." Then, -perceiving that he had wandered from his subject, he added: "You see, -Ted, this state of affairs results: politics becomes the business of -business. Industry is at the mercy of the legislator, and the -legislator knows it. He may restrict the field of business of insurance -companies, prohibit others from operating in his state, add or detract -from the wealth of individuals by tariffs, force the adoption of certain -building material on contractors, regulate rates of railroads and force -them to adopt certain life-preserving devices; can create rival -franchises or tax out of existence corporations that refuse to pay its -blackmail. - -"That is why there are, back in the secret life of every great business, -ledgers it is not good the public should see. That is one reason why -business goes into politics, nominates its men, and assists them--in -order to protect itself against strikes and blackmail. The great -political alliance of business is almost always expressed by the -railroad which is the natural agent. All this is known; every newspaper -that will shriek out horrified editorials next week knows this; but when -the Atlantic Trust is caught in a business depression, and is unable to -get ready money from influences it has antagonized, the public will -learn only that one institution has secretly contributed to a political -party, maintained a huge fund for lobbying purposes, made loans on -securities that were speculative, and transgressed the letter of the -law. The public will be indignant, and Majendie will be disgraced." - -"But, Bruce," said Beecher, who was thinking of the analysis that had -been made, "if we are so riddled with corruption, where is it all going -to end?" - -"The end will come in the opening of another phase of national life. We -will become honest through the purifying process of another generation. -Honesty, you see, has this one great advantage over corruption--it is -the goal of corruption. Those who acquire, wish to retain, to resist -those who in turn wish to graft from them. Stealing was an attribute of -distinction, until men came to live together. The next generation will -purify and reorganize." - -"I didn't know you'd gone into things so deeply," said Beecher, -impressed. - -"I've worked like a pup since I started to amuse myself," said Gunther, -with a laugh. - -The automobile drew up before the glittering doors of Lazare's, and a -gilded footman, recognizing it, flashed obsequiously to their door. - -"Say, let's cut this out," said Gunther, frowning. "I'm out of the mood -now. Let's run off for a chop and a baked potato somewhere. I'm tired -of this." - -"Too late," said Beecher, laughing and pointing to an upper window where -a feminine arm was waving frantically. "We're caught." Then, suddenly -he remembered the hint of McKenna's, and added: "I say, what's the story -about Majendie and Mrs. Bloodgood? I'm not up on the gossip, you know." - -Gunther signaled impatiently to the flunky to close the door, and -related, what every one knew, the attachment of the financier and the -wife of the owner of the New York _Star_. - -"Of course, every one believes what he chooses in such matters," he -said. "Personally, knowing Majendie, I believe it's purely -platonic--such things do happen. He has a sort of old-fashioned -chivalry, you know. Bloodgood is a hard old nut, leads his own -life--chorus girls' friend and all that--thirty years older than his -wife--parents got her into it--and I shouldn't be surprised if he took -advantage of the situation to touch up Majendie through the Atlantic -Trust for a good-sized loan. The rumor was that Mrs. Bloodgood was to -get a divorce. If so, it may have been held up by this rotten business. -One thing's clear: she's crazy about Majendie, and doesn't care who sees -it--poor devil. Well, let's get out." - -They entered Lazare's, saluted by a sudden storm of clatter, music, and -shrill laughter. Lazare himself, seeing Gunther, came up hurriedly, -anxiety in his olive face, while several employees hovered near, with -eager ears. Gunther exchanged again a few words on the financial -situation, and led the way into the elevator. - -"McKenna's a great one," he said. "Rather puzzled you, didn't he? -There's no show about him--he's direct. You'll see the way he works. -It'll be a revelation." - -Beecher did not answer. - -The disclosure of the relations of Majendie and Mrs. Bloodgood had -suddenly recalled the suspicion that had come to him the night before, -while following the agitation of Nan Charters; and he was asking -himself, in a bewildered manner, if Mrs. Bloodgood, desperate, perhaps -on the verge of a separation, had not in an uncontrollable moment taken -the ring. Gunther continued in praise of McKenna: - -"It's the organization that's wonderful. It's like a spider-web, and -McKenna sits in the center and pulls the threads. What the public never -gets is this--that half of the work's done before McKenna's on the case. -He knows to-day where every forger is living, every cracksman. He's got -his informers in every saloon, in every cheap hotel, where thugs -congregate. If a bank's robbed, nine times out of ten he can tell in a -day who's done the job, because he knows who's disappeared from his -regular haunts. A detective agency is a great news bureau that never -prints its news." - -"I guess the case is more complicated than I thought," said Beecher, -struck by the new lead. "It begins to look as though a whole lot of -persons might have taken the ring." - -"Thinking of Mrs. B?" said Gunther quickly. - -"Yes," said Beecher meditatively. They were in the corridor leading to -the private dining-rooms. He put his hand out and checked his companion. - -"I say, who's Madame Fornez?" - -"Opera squealer," said Gunther irreverently; "Carmen and all that sort -of thing. Bob Holliday's daffy about her. Come on; let's face the -music." - -He nodded to the attendant waiting with extended ears, who now sprang -forward to open the door on the flaring room and the dazzling white of -the richly covered table set for five. - -Holliday and two women in decollete instantly burst into exclamations of -reproach. - -"Sorry; couldn't be helped--business," said Gunther, without taking the -pains for a more elaborate apology. Then, sure of his explanation, he -added: "You probably missed it. Poor old Majendie's up the spout. -Forced resignation. There'll be the devil to pay to-morrow." - -The reproaches ceased, succeeded by a rush of excited questions. -Holliday, a tall, scoured blond, who had been drumming at the piano, was -so disturbed by the news that he forgot his duties as a host. - -"_Allons_, Bobbie," said Mme. Fornez, turning her great Spanish eyes on -Beecher with an expression of approval, "introduce your nice-looking -friend." - -Beecher, amid laughter, was presented. Mme. Fornez, who, from pride -perhaps, chose to retain the freedom of the peasant, tapped him -familiarly on the arm and said: "I like you. You don't look so clean -and stupid as most of your dollar men. You will sit by my side. I -select you. Monsieur Gunthere, Bobbie--enough of your old panics and -your stocks; you have two charming ladies present, that's all you need -to know. Bobbie, obey me at once!" - -Beecher was giving his hand to Mrs. Craig Fontaine, a young widow, -slight, with quick eyes, and almost masculine vitality, and an -extraordinary elegance of dress and carriage, whom Gunther called -Louise. She was scarcely twenty-six, possessed of a large fortune from -her husband, who had been killed in a steeplechase three years before. -Her position in society was unquestioned, and, being of a singular -temperament, she did as she pleased. She was seen everywhere with young -Gunther, and gossip had already arranged their marriage--an eventuality -which she alone, who ambitiously desired it, knew to be impossible. - -Beecher, who was particularly sensitive to the air of distinction that -always surrounded her, even when most unbending, took her hand with a -little extra gallantry, saying: - -"I changed my mind on your account only, Louise, and I expect you to -reward me." - -Between the two, from his college days, had been a sort of confidential -intimacy which Beecher had the knack of cultivating. - -Holliday having ordered the dinner, Mme. Fornez took special delight in -countermanding everything that could be countermanded, substituting -other wines and abolishing the soup, scolding her escort all the while -with a calculated tyranny which Mrs. Fontaine admired with a slight -smiling tribute of her lips, as the clever advertisement of a -professional woman that Mr. Holliday's fetch and carry attentions were -entirely on her own sufferance. - -"How have you escaped being married?" said Mrs. Fontaine in a bantering -tone to Beecher, after Mme. Fornez had relinquished him for a moment. - -"Because I fly like a coward," he said, pleased at the compliment -implied. - -"Seriously, Teddy, you've been back in civilization two months and you -are not yet caught?" - -"I am not the marrying kind," he said, with conviction. - -"What's he say--your Teddy?" said Mme. Fornez, turning, with a laugh. - -Beecher repeated his statement. - -"_Allons donc_, you!" She broke into a ripple of laughter. "What do -you say, Madame Fontaine?" - -Mrs. Fontaine's reply was a tolerant, amused smile, and, leaning over, -she pinched his ear. - -Beecher furiously defended himself. - -"Yes, that's what all you women say. You think you can catch any man. -It irritates you to think any man can resist you." - -"Ah, no, no," said Mme. Fornez energetically. "There are lots of men who -can't be married. I don't say that, but what I say is this: a woman -knows, the moment she meets one of you, if he is the kind that marries. -A clever woman knows if she can marry him, but all women know if he is -the marrying kind the moment they look in his eye. Is it not so, Madame -Fontaine?" - -"Of course," said Mrs. Fontaine calmly, with a glance around the table. - -"Nonsense," said Beecher valiantly; "women are as easily fooled as men." - -Mme. Fornez, drawing back her head, surveyed him critically. - -"Teddy, you will marry the first pretty woman who makes up her mind to -marry you," she said, tapping the table, amid laughter. "I see it; I -know it." - -"I say, how do you see it?" said Holliday, who was what might be called -"_un faux Anglais_." - -"It is in the eye; it responds or it does not respond," said Mme. -Fornez, who shrugged her shoulders in Holliday's direction, and said: -"You, you will never marry unless--unless there is one _big_ panic. -Teddy, here, has the responsive eye. I saw it at once when I said he -was a nice boy. Oh, you needn't be furious and blush," she added, -pulling his other ear. "It is quite right. I like you. You shall play -with me. You are much nicer than Bobbie, who is all collar and cuffs." - -"And Mr. Gunther?" said Beecher, to cover his confusion. - -Mme. Fornez looked at him with the same critical estimation. - -"Ah, Monsieur Gunthere is very interesting," she said. "What do you -think, Madame Fontaine?" - -She asked the question with a little of that malice which women can not -help showing toward one another. But Mrs. Fontaine, with the perfect -control that never left her, answered at once: - -"Bruce will marry, but he is not the marrying kind. He will marry when -he pleases and how he pleases, not the least sentimentally, a woman, a -young girl, who will raise up a family of children--a son to succeed -him, as he will succeed his father." - -"Yes, yes, that's it," said Mme. Fornez excitedly. "He can not be -caught; any woman would know that." - -Gunther smiled without embarrassment. - -"Perhaps," he said. - -"Yes, any woman would know it," repeated Mrs. Fontaine, looking at him -with a little smile. "The reason is, as Madame Fornez says, in the -eyes--they don't respond. It's more than that, they make no -distinction. They look at a woman as they do at a man. He is quite to -be congratulated." - -"Ah, _la pauvre femme_," said Mme. Fornez--who was very romantic--in a -whisper, pressing Beecher's arm. Then aloud, taking pity, "_Allons, mes -enfants_, we are getting too serious. Bobbie, jump up and play us -something lively." - -The dinner continued gaily. They reached the theater in the middle of -the second act of the operetta, and deranged the whole orchestra in the -five minutes necessary for Mme. Fornez to be sure that she was properly -recognized. Then, having carried off Elsie Ware, a dainty prima donna -with the wiles and figure of a child, they proceeded to the party at -Lindabury's studio, Mme. Fornez complimenting Elsie Ware on the quality -of her voice, which was insignificant, and saying nothing of her acting, -which was distinguished for its charm and natural gaiety. - -Beecher, squeezed in between Louise Fontaine and Mme. Fornez, slightly -bewildered by the fragrance of soft, filmy wraps, immensely flattered by -the favor he had won, nevertheless was wondering to himself whether -among the gay party he was approaching would be the laughing eyes and -rebellious ashen hair of Nan Charters, whom he intended to treat _en -ennemi_, and whom he particularly wished to witness his triumphant entry -at the side of the celebrated Emma Fornez. - - - - - *CHAPTER IX* - - -The party was in full progress when they arrived. Jack and Tom -Lindabury resided, as far as they could be said to reside anywhere, in a -great green stone house of the 1860 period, with a deep garden in the -back on which originally stood a stable, access to which was had, in the -Parisian style, by a long, vaulted passage at one side. The Lindaburys, -having discovered, as many other young men of fortune did at this -period, the social adaptability of the artist's atelier, had transformed -the stable into a great studio, with a kitchen and two or three -dressing-rooms, which served when the place was given over to amateur -theatricals or to the not always restrained fetes of the brothers' -invention. - -Gunther's party emerged from the hollow passage into the sudden cool of -the short garden, where masked stone seats and arbors were faintly -disclosed by the great stable lantern which swung at the entrance of the -studio. Several couples, profiting by the obscurity, could be seen -moving in the sudden shadows of the garden, laughing with a nervous, -stifled laughter, as groups crossed or joined one another. - -Holliday and Beecher, recognizing acquaintances, saluted them with the -light banter, which was the note of the evening. Mme. Fornez, inside, -called her companions with exclamations of surprise which drew the -whispered curiosity of every one to her entrance. - -"Oh, how funny it is! Look, Teddy, what do you call it? It is -your--cowboy life, is it not?" - -The great room had been transformed into a mining saloon of the type -made popular by a certain play of the day. A bar ran across one end, -presided over by an impossibly wicked bartender. A roulette-wheel was -crowded at one side, while a negro orchestra, in 1850 costume, was -busily sawing away, led by a cotton-head darky on a soap-box, who droned -out his directions. Three-fourths of the room were in costume, Indian, -Spanish, cowboy or frontier At the appearance of the new arrivals in -evening dress, a shout went up: - -"Tenderfeet, tenderfeet!" - -"Fine them!" - -"Shoot 'em up!" - -But, in deference to Mrs. Fontaine and Emma Fornez, the protest was not -so boisterous or accompanied by such rushing tactics as had greeted -others. Nevertheless they were fined and escorted to one of the -dressing-rooms. The men were forced to don dusters and white top-hats, -and the women were given sombreros and mantillas. - -Mme. Fornez, despite the frowns of Holliday, clung to Beecher's arm, -insisting on being personally conducted, plying him with innumerable -questions. - -"Oh what a terrible man! What an awful knife. I like the black -men--_sont ils rigolots_--with their red and white collars. I want to -see the bar-man toss drinks--so, in the air, Teddy. Come this way." - -All at once she stopped, and, facing about, took him by the lapels of -the coat. - -"It does not annoy you that I adopt you--that I call you Teddy?" she -said, with a simulation of timidity and a sudden concentration of her -swimming black eyes. - -"Emma," he said, laughing, "if you stop there I shall die of -disappointment." - -She frowned a little at the "Emma," but yielded the point. - -"You are not very responsive, Monsieur Beecher," she said, with a flash, -"when I am so nice to you." - -"My dear Emma," said Beecher, who, not being in love, could see clearly, -"if I don't fall at your feet, it's because I know very well that the -moment I did you would bulldoze me like Bob Holliday." - -Emma Fornez looked at him with a sudden gay approval. - -"Teddy, you are very nice," she said decidedly. "You understand how to -play. I forbid you to fall in love, to get caught by any other woman, -you understand. You are to be mine for the whole season--_hein_?" - -"Nothing promised," said Beecher, laughing. - -Holliday came with two or three friends, clamoring to be introduced. -Beecher profited by the confusion to make the turn of the room, which -was crowded with laughing groups striving to penetrate the disguises of -others while maintaining their own. At the faro table, a group from his -club called to him to join them, but he kept on, saluting the dealer, -costumed according to Bret Harte, with an approving wave of the hand. - -The assembly was one of those curious social demarcations which prevail -when formal society essays to be Bohemian, and which is probably evolved -by the women in their always curious desire to study at close range -those whose lives they are generally condemning. As is usually the -case, the guests were made up of those who remained wrapped up in a -mantel of inquisitive respectability, and would go early; a large body -who waited impatiently for this first secession; and a certain element, -not all professionals, at present exceedingly punctilious, who would -inherit the right to put out the lanterns and close up the doors. - -Young Beecher, pacing restlessly, nodding and smiling, searched in the -crowd without quite admitting to himself what it was he sought. In the -short period of his return, he had gone into many different sets, always -retaining the prerogatives of his own. The women, besides those of the -younger married women whom he knew, were of the opera, the stage, one or -two, even, whose names were electrically displayed in vaudeville. He -was caught up, greeted enthusiastically, and extricated himself with -deftness, seeking in a general way to reach the great fireplace near -which he had detected the figure of Mrs. Kildair. - -The men, without exception, were of his own kind--of that second -generation which is the peculiar problem of America. They were strong, -well put together, with heads chiseled somewhat on the vigorous lines of -the father spirits, condemned by the accident of wealth to the most -un-American of professions, the idler. Without the mental languor of -the foreign dilettante, consumed in reality by their own imprisoned -energy, they were a restless, dissatisfied testimony of the error of -their own civilization, the inability of the great, barbaric, -money-acquiring American to comprehend the uses of wealth. Tonight, -threatened with tomorrow's disaster, stirred by the restlessness of the -multitude, this excess of baffled energy was felt everywhere: at the -bar, in the Anglo-Saxon intensity; at the faro table where the play had -a certain desperate counterpart of the spirit that had assembled the -future; in the momentary sudden accesses of gaiety that began to spread -through the hesitant crowd, as an overturned bottle spreads its fluid -over the cloth. - -Beecher, too, without comprehending it, felt the stimulus, awakening all -the nervous unemployed funds of energy within him and the intoxication -of movement and laughter that brought him a sudden feverish hilarity, -brought also a sense of unrest and dissatisfaction. Underneath all the -over-excited spirits of frivolity was a current of grave apprehension -which he felt in the occasional groupings of men and the low snatches of -conversation which reached him. - -"Bo Lynch's cleaned out." - -"--not the only one." - -"--and thousands thrown on the market." - -"Eddie Fontaine's crowd." - -"Copper'll blow up higher than a kite!" - -"--if Slade goes too." - -"They say there's a line formed in front of the Atlantic." - -In his progress he encountered Jack Lindabury, lank and -broad-shouldered, with the magnificent shell of a head that might have -been set on the shoulders of a Gladstone. They shook hands with -cordiality. - -"Devil of a mess about Majendie," said Lindabury. - -"Are you hit?" - -"Of course; Eddie Fontaine's had us all in on his tip. Some of the -crowd are liable to be wiped out. They tell me Bo Lynch had plunged -every cent in the world." - -"Shouldn't wonder," said Beecher, reflecting. "Is he here?" - -"Sure; he's the bartender," said Lindabury. - -Beecher, surprised, nodded and made his way toward the end that had been -converted into a frontier saloon, where, behind enormous mustaches, he -recognized the long features of his fellow lodger. - -"What'll y'have?" said Lynch, in hoarse accents. Then, perceiving that -he was recognized, he drew Beecher aside and said anxiously: - -"You owe me fifty, Ted; we pulled it out. Go over and stake it at the -table for me, if you've got it." - -"Sorry," said Beecher, eying him critically and resolving to lie. - -"Oh, well," said Lynch philosophically, "it'll look big as a house -to-morrow." - -"Are you cleaned out, Bo?" said Beecher anxiously. - -"Oh, no; I'm worth thousands," said Lynch, with a grin, "until the -market opens to-morrow." - -"Tough luck." - -"Steve Plunkett's worse--he's got to negotiate his gold fillings, they -say." - -A party came up, clamoring for attention, and Lynch hastened to the -rescue. Beecher continued curiously toward the faro table, admiring -with an admiration tinged with compassion the _sang froid_ of the -losers, who in a desperate attempt to recover the imminent loss of the -morrow, were staking sums that made the spectators raise their eyebrows -in amazement. - -"Supposing that Jap came back and sneaked the ring the second time," -said Gunther, taking his arm. - -Beecher started in surprise. - -"I wasn't thinking of that," he said. - -"But I was. That puzzle of yours has been running in my head ever -since. I've got six people now absolutely logically worked out for the -thief--perfect deduction. Take me over to Mrs. Kildair; I want to meet -that woman." - -"I say, Bruce," said Beecher as they started to cross the room, "it's -going to be an awful smash. All the boys are caught. There'll be the -deuce to pay here later on." - -"Shouldn't wonder--they started in pretty fierce." - -"Eat, drink, and be merry--eh?" - -"Sure." - -By the hazards of the crowd they found themselves opposite Nan Charters, -who was on the arm of Charlie Lorraine, a clean-cut, pleasant type of -the racing set, decidedly handsome in a dark way. - -"Hello, fellows, any old clothes to give away?" said Lorraine, who had -the topic of the evening in jest. "I speak first. How the deuce did -Eddie Fontaine miss you two? Heard what we are doing? We are organizing -the Eddie Club. Every one who's taken his tip is going up to live on -Eddie's farm for the winter--great idea, eh?" - -While Gunther and Lorraine were laughing over this plan, a creation of -Bo Lynch's, Beecher was listening to Nan Charters, with a difficult -attempt at calming the sudden emotion which her appearance with Lorraine -had fired within him. - -"What a dreadful time you chose to call!" she said directly. "Don't you -know that it takes a modern woman hours to mix her war-paint?" - -She looked at him with a little tantalizing malice in her eyes. - -"Coquette," he thought furiously. "She is delighted because I was ass -enough to call and give her the opportunity to refuse to see me." - -"Oh, not a call," he said aloud, committing the stupidity of lying. "I -was just rushing downtown, and stopped to inquire how you were after -last night." - -This answer brought a natural pause. Each looked at the other, he with -defiance, she with laughter in her eyes. - -"You're staying late," he said at last, because her listening attitude -forced him to say something. - -"Yes, indeed." - -"It'll be more amusing when it thins out," he said in a purposely -languid tone. - -"When the sight-seers have left--yes," she said, smiling. - -Wishing to show what slight importance he attached to the encounter, he -contrived to nudge Gunther as a signal that he was ready; but, his -friend proving insensible, he was forced to proceed. - -"Did you come with Mrs. Kildair?" he said perfunctorily. - -"No." - -"With whom?" he asked, regretting the question as soon as it was -uttered. - -"With Mr. Lorraine--of course," she said, looking down modestly, but -beneath her eyelids he divined again the cunning malice. - -At this moment, to his delight, Emma Fornez perceived him, and, being -profoundly bored by her chance cavalier, a purely passive listener -thoroughly bewildered by her sallies, gave a cry of joy: - -"Teddy, traitor, where have you been?" - -Dismissing her companion with a bob of her head, she seized Beecher's -arm, exclaiming: - -"Heavens--save me! I have been shrieking at a deaf-mute." - -In the crowd, the head of her late companion could be seen, rolling his -uncomprehending eyes. Beecher, overjoyed at the arrival, which gave him -an advantage he was quick to perceive, nodded to Miss Charters and -departed, exaggerating, for her benefit, the confidential intimacy which -Mme. Fornez's attitude permitted. - -"Who is that woman?" said Emma Fornez immediately. "She is watching us. -She doesn't seem pleased. _Tant pis_!" - -"Nan Charters--one of our younger actresses." - -"Ah! Good?" - -"Yes." - -"She is pretty--in a way," said Mme. Fornez, using her lorgnette, -without caring in the least that Miss Charters perceived it. "_Pas -mal--pas mal_. Not much temperament--afraid to uncover her shoulders. -It is not an actress; it is a woman. You are interested, Teddy?" - -"No." - -"Oh, _avec ca_. You are in love?" - -"I met her last night for the first time." - -"That's not an answer. Yes, you have a guilty look. You are a little -taken--she provokes you--these little dolls always do. I will give you -good advice; I will help you." - -"How?" said Beecher, a bit confused. - -"I will be very, very nice with you," said his companion gaily, her feet -dancing to the music. "A woman always wants what another woman wants, -particularly when she is a little actress and I am Emma Fornez. It's -very simple, but it never fails; only, I will not help you if you are -really in love, you understand?" - -Beecher solemnly assured her that she need have no fear. - -"Very well, then. Be sure to pay attention to Madame Fontaine too; she -likes you. We are the two women most distinguished here tonight--both -high, high above your little Charters. It will double the effect. Do -as I say; it'll be amusing." - -Gunther joined them, protesting. - -"I say, Madame Fornez, it's not fair. We'll have to get up a Whitecaps -party and kidnap Ted, if you don't stop." - -"Oh, we understand each other perfectly," said Beecher, delighted to -perceive that Nan Charters was still following his progress. "Whenever -Emma wants to escape from some one, she remembers that she's crazy about -me. It is all arranged." - -Emma Fornez burst out laughing and gave him a little pat on his shoulder -with the lorgnon. - -"We are--chums, you say--_hein_, Teddy? Monsieur Gunthere is different. -I like to talk with him--seriously." - -But at this moment, in response to a clamor, one of the negroes began -dancing a shuffle in a quickly formed circle. Emma Fornez rushed off, -with a cry of delight, deserting both young men. - -"You've made a killing, Ted," said Gunther, laughing. - -"Pooh! she'll forget my name tomorrow," said Beecher, who, however, -believed nothing of the sort. "Come on." - -Mrs. Kildair was standing by the great Italian fireplace, her glance -playing incessantly through the crowd, nodding from time to time, but -without hearing the remarks of two or three older men who surrounded -her. So different was the magnetic animation of her whole attitude from -the ordinary feline languor of her pose, that Beecher noticed it at -once, an impression heightened by the flash of the eyes and the almost -electric warmth of her hand as she greeted him. Mrs. Kildair, who had -followed his entrance with Mrs. Craig Fontaine and Emma Fornez and -moreover was particularly pleased at his presenting young Gunther, was -unusually gracious. - -Gunther, with his direct, almost obtrusive stare, studied her with -unusual curiosity, conversed a little, and departed, after receiving a -cordial invitation from her to call. - -"What is the matter with you, Rita?" said Beecher immediately. - -"Matter--how do you mean?" - -"I have never seen you so excited." - -"Really, do I seem so?" she said, waving to some one on the floor. - -"Extraordinarily so." - -"I am generally--dormant," she said, laughing. "Yes, I am excited -tonight." - -"You are on the track of the ring--you have found it," he said -instantly, with a pang of disappointment. - -"No, not that," she said, with a frown. - -An idea came to him. He imagined that she too, like the good gambler he -felt her to be, was laughing before the irretrievable disaster of the -morrow. - -"Look here, Rita," he said sympathetically, "you're not caught in the -stock market, are you? - -"No, no, of course not." She saw the look on his face, and was touched -by it. "Ruined and dying game? No, no; I am excited, very much -excited, that's all. Will you ask me to dance, sir?" - -"Are they dancing?" - -"Of course. Hurry up!" - -Some of the more ardent spirits, impatient for the crowd to thin out, -were whirling about, clearing an expanding circle by force of their -revolving attacks. In a moment they were moving among the dancers. - -Mrs. Kildair danced remarkably well. In this lithe body, so pliant and -yet so inspired with the vertigo of the waltz, Beecher was again aware -of the strange excitement that seemed to animate her whole being, and -continued to ask himself the cause of such an unusual emotion. From -time to time, the light fingers on his arms contracted imperiously, -urging him to a wilder measure. He had a strange sensation of mystery -and flight, as though he were no longer dancing, but whirling around -with her in his arms, each striving, in the frantic flight, to conquer -the other. - -The dance ended. The spectators burst into applause. Mrs. Kildair, half -opening her eyes, thanked him with a grateful smile. He walked away -with her on his arm, agitated and troubled. What all the brilliance of -Emma Fornez had not been able to accomplish, one touch of Rita Kildair -had effected. - -"I've lots of things to ask you," he said hurriedly, remembering -McKenna's suggestions. - -"No, no; not now--tomorrow," she said breathlessly, with the same -caressing, half-veiled look. She gave him her hand in dismissal. - -He understood. The sensation which had come in the few moments of their -vertigo had been too extraordinary to be dimmed by a descent to -conversation. - -He left her, as always, aware of the artist in her, that never failed in -the conception of a situation. - -"If I fall in love, it won't be with Nan Charters," he said, following -Mrs. Kildair with his eyes. - -Then, mindful of Emma Fornez's advice, he joined Mrs. Fontaine, staying -with her until she gave the signal to leave for those who had come to -watch. - -With this departure, in which Mrs. Kildair joined, a certain element of -restraint disappeared. The unmistakable rising note of loosened tongues -freed from Anglo-Saxon restraint by the scientifically contrived punch, -began to mount above the rhythmic beat of the music, which itself seemed -suddenly possessed of a wilder abandon. At the roulette table the -players, coldly concentrated, continued in strained attitudes, oblivious -of all but the blinding green nap before them. - -Toward two o'clock the thirty or forty who still remained formed a -circle, camping on the floor, Indian fashion, clamoring for songs and -vaudeville turns. Jack Lindabury and Bo Lynch gave their celebrated -take-off on grand opera. Elsie Ware, riotously acclaimed, accompanied -by an hilarious chorus, sang her famous successes, turning to and fro -coquetting with first one man and then another. - -Emma Fornez, excited as a child, without waiting to be urged, ran to the -piano and struck the first riotous chords of the "Habanera" of _Carmen_. -Instantly there was a scramble for the sides of the long piano, and when -she looked up again it was into a score of comically adoring faces, each -striving to attract her attention. But Beecher, first to a position of -vantage, received the full concentration of the diva's glances. Flushed -with the peculiar fleeting intoxication of exuberant youth--the -knowledge of the evening's success with women others coveted--he leaned -far over the piano, resting his chin in his hands, gazing with a -provoking malice into the eyes of the singer, exaggerating the intensity -of his look, maliciously obvious of Nan Charters, whom he felt at his -side. Emma Fornez, lending herself to the maneuver, opened her wide, -languorous eyes, singing to him alone, with a little forward leaning of -her body: - - "_L'amour est enfant de la Boheme,_ - _Il n'a jamais connu de loi_ - _Si tu m'aimes._" - - -The song ended in a furore. Mme. Fornez was overwhelmed with -spontaneous adulation, and Beecher, laughing and struggling, was choked -and carried away by the indignant suitors. Escaping, he came back, -happy and resolved on more mischief. He had always had a passion for -what is called fancy dancing, and in Europe had learned the dances of -the country. He proposed to Emma Fornez a Spanish dance, and the idea -was received with shouts of enthusiasm. Every one camped on the floor -again, while three or four of the men, converting their sombreros into -imaginary tambourines, shook them frantically in the air, led by Bo -Lynch, who had somehow procured a great tin tray. - -"You dance--are you sure?" asked Emma Fornez, looking at his flushed -face with an anxious look; for some of the men, notably Lorraine and -Lynch, were in a visibly excited state. - -"Very well," he said confidently. - -"_Allons_, then!" - -The dance he had chosen was one somewhat akin to the tarantella, a slow -movement gradually and irresistibly singing up into a barbaric frenzy at -the climax--one of those dances that are the epitome of primal coquetry, -of the savage fascinating allurements of the feline, provoking to the -dancer, doubly provoking to the spectator, bewildered by the sudden -antagonisms of the poses and the brusque yieldings. At the end, -according to Spanish custom, the dance ended in an embrace. Emma -Fornez, surprised to find so inspired a partner, transported by the -mood, ended laughingly with a kiss, her warm arms remaining languidly a -moment about the shoulders of the young man, whom she complimented with -expressions of surprise. Besieged at every side with cries for an -encore, they repeated the dance, freer in their revolving movements from -the intimacy of the first passage. - -From time to time Beecher had managed to steal a glance in the direction -of Nan Charters. She was sitting straight and unrelaxing, her eyes -never leaving him, the lines of her mouth drawn a little tightly. When -Emma Fornez had embraced him for the second time, Beecher, relaxing, -perceived that Nan Charters turned her back and was conversing volubly, -her shoulders rising and falling with little rapid movements, while her -fan had the same nervous lashing that one sees in the uneasy panther. - -He was delighted at his success, at the revenge he had inflicted, at the -superiority he had regained. The dances began again, but he did not -dance. He held himself near the entrance, surveying the scene -triumphantly. The experience was new to him; in the few years he had -passed since college, he had been really out of the world. This -game--the most fascinating of all the games of chance that can fascinate -the gambler in each human being--the game between man and woman, came to -him as a revelation, with a zest that was almost a discovery of his -youth. - -All at once a feminine hand was laid on his arm and the voice of Nan -Charters said: - -"Come outside--in the garden. I want to speak to you. Come quietly." - -[Illustration: "'Come outside--in the garden. I want to speak to you. -Come quietly'"] - -Elated by a strange, almost cruel feeling of conquest, he followed her, -with a last look back at the studio, at the littered bar, where Bo Lynch -was still calling raucously for customers, at the silent intensity of -the gamblers, whom he occasionally perceived between the flitting -dresses of the dancers. In the middle of the floor Lorraine and -Plunkett, stumbling and unsteady, were solemnly waltzing in each other's -arms--the specter of the morning forgotten. - -He closed the door softly and joined the young actress, who was waiting -for him at some distance. - -"Can you take me home?" she asked directly. "Mr. Lorraine is in such a -condition that I do not wish to go with him." - -"Certainly," he said, a feeling of protection replacing the first -victorious perception of the fire of jealousy he had awakened in her. - -Gunther's automobile was waiting, and they entered it. She did not say -a word to him, and he, determined to force her to begin the -conversation, waited with a pleased enjoyment until three-quarters of -the journey had been accomplished. All at once she turned, and, taking -him by the lapels of the coat, brought him toward her as one scolds a -child. - -"Are you so angry because I didn't see you this afternoon?" she said, -smiling. - -The feminine defensive instinct of avoiding the issue by ambushing it -with subterfuges, is equaled only by that instinct for attack which -brushes aside all preliminaries and strikes directly. Beecher, taken -off his guard, was a prey to two contrary impulses. Two replies, -absolutely opposed and illogically joined, came to his lips. One -brutal, still charged with the savageness of the evening, to say: - -"Angry? Not at all. Aren't you claiming a little too much?" - -And the other, a warm, yielding desire to blurt out frankly: - -"Yes, I was angry. I wanted to see you." - -She waited. Her large eyes, seeming larger in the dim light of the -carriage, continued steadily on him. The first impulse dominated the -second, but was modified by it. - -"Angry? What a curious idea!" he began, with a half laugh. "You were -so upset--" - -She interrupted him, shaking her head. - -"Why did you act the way you did tonight? Don't do things that are not -like you. That is not the way we began." - -He was silent, not knowing what to answer. Presently she withdrew into -her corner, glanced out of the window, as if to assure herself that they -were near their destination, and, placing her hand over his, said -gently: - -"You are very sympathetic to me. Keep it so." - -For all that he said to himself that it was his favor with other women -that made him precious to her, he felt a certain yielding of the spirit. -He wondered if he could take her in his arms; but he restrained himself, -and closed his two hands over hers. - -"Yes, we are very sympathetic," he said; but he did not say all he -meant. - -"What a foolish boy you are," she said finally, looking up at him. -"Don't you know that if I say one word you will go wherever I want you -to?" - -He was so taken by surprise at the audacity and confidence of her -remark, that he could not collect himself for an answer, outgeneraled by -the woman who had so calculated to a nicety her last words that the -arrival of the automobile left him without response. - -He went home, repeating to himself what she had asserted, resisting a -wild desire to return to the Lindaburys' and forget there the disorder -in his soul; and, though he rebelled scornfully against her confident -assertion, the incessant repetition of it did leave an impression. - -As he passed the great marble facade of the Atlantic Trust, an unusual -sight made him bend out of the window. In the chill gray of the coming -dawn, a thin line of depositors was waiting, some standing, others -huddled on campstools. At the sight the seriousness of life smote him, -and he returned home, the tremulous turns of the human gamble he had -played feverishly blended and confused with the dark realities of the -rising tragedy of speculation. - - - - - *CHAPTER X* - - -When, the next morning, Beecher struggled out of a profound stupor, it -was to be awakened by the sounds of Bo Lynch at the telephone. He -rolled out of bed after a startled gaze at his watch, recalling in a -flash the incidents of the night before. As he emerged he heard the -final phrase, and the click of the released receiver: - -"Sell at once--throw them over." - -Bo Lynch, a pad of paper in one hand, a tumbler of cracked ice in the -other, already dressed for the day, greeted him nonchalantly: - -"Morning." - -"How late did you stay?" asked Beecher. - -"Oh, we breakfasted together," said Lynch, with a wry smile; "charming -little repast. But I picked up enough to pay for my winter's stabling." - -Beecher glanced at the clock, which was approaching the hour. - -"Waiting for the opening?" - -"Yes." His glance followed Beecher's with a sudden concentration, and, -taking up a matchbox, he struck a match and threw it away. "Waiting to -see if I can escape working another year." - -Beecher, comprehending that sympathy would be distasteful, picked up the -morning papers. The scareheads were alive with the note of panic: a -dozen banks were threatened with runs; a rumor was abroad that the -Atlantic Trust and two other great institutions might close their doors -within the next twenty-four hours; an interview with Majendie protested -against the action of the Clearing-house, asserting the recklessness of -the move and the solvency of the Trust Company; a riot was feared on the -East Side, where the small Jewish depositors, always prey to alarms, -were in a state of frenzy; vague, guarded hints of further actions to be -expected by the Clearing-house against another prominent chain of banks, -and a report that John G. Slade was to tender his resignation, were -joined with rumors from the office of the State Examiner of Banks that -there might be grounds for the criminal prosecution of certain -officials. - -The telephone rang. Lynch went to the receiver, arranging his pad -methodically on the table. Beecher stopped reading, listening to the -broken threads. - -"All right, go ahead." ... - -"How much?" ... - -"Whew! Give me the Northern Pacific figures now." ... - -"Yes--yes--I see." ... - -"Something of a break, isn't it?" ... - -"All right." ... - -"No--that's all in the game. Thank you. I'll send my check to-day. -Thanks." - -He put up the receiver, glanced curiously at the clock, which marked -twelve minutes after ten, and studied the pad. - -Beecher had never been intimate with Lynch, but he liked him and his -standards of Britannic phlegm. He belonged to that curious freemasonry -of men, an indefinable, invisible standard of association, but one that -cannot be counterfeited. - -"How did you come out?" he said carelessly. - -"About as I expected. The market has gone wild." - -Bo Lynch poured out a morning peg, adjusted his cravat critically in the -mirror, and took up his hat. - -"Lunching at the club?" - -"Not to-day." - -"It'll be a cheerful funeral. So long." - -After his departure Beecher studied the jotted figures on the pad. In -the twelve minutes of the opening, Lynch had lost a clear thirty-two -thousand dollars. - -By the time he had dressed and breakfasted, he had answered the -telephone a dozen times, messages from men he knew, anxious to learn if -his intimacy with young Gunther had brought him any valuable -information; inquiries as to the effect on his personal fortunes, and -rumors of individual losses. - -He himself remained undisturbed by the frenzy. His own fortune, thanks -to the wise provision of a hard-headed father, was safely invested in -solid properties, and the world of speculation had not entered his ken. -He returned to his newspapers, read everything bearing on the personal -fate of John G. Slade, which interested him extraordinarily since his -encounter with that abrupt and forceful personality, and, rising, asked -himself how he could kill the time until the hour of his luncheon with -Rita Kildair. - -The irritation he had felt at the end of his ride with Nan Charters had -disappeared. Studying the evening calmly, he analyzed her words with a -clearer perception. He comprehended that, beyond all the cleverness of -her attitude, she had been veritably piqued by his indifference and his -absorption by Emma Fornez, who treated her as a little actress. -Considering the encounter thus, he smiled occasionally, congratulating -himself that the conversation had ended so abruptly--when a continuance -would have led him perhaps to say some of those sudden, illogical -remarks which are irresistibly drawn from a man by the provoking contact -of certain feminine personalities. - -"She may say what she wants," he said, selecting a cigarette. "She was -caught by her own tricks." He took several steps, and grinned to -himself. "It's an amusing game, and a game that will be amusing to -play." - -Despite this feeling of confidence and elation, he had an irresistible -desire to telephone her, to indulge himself in the pleasure of hearing -her voice again. He had resisted the impulse several times, convincing -himself of the tactical error; and yet, the more he argued against it, -the more the desire haunted him. - -Ordinarily he spent an agreeable half-hour after breakfast, calling up -on the telephone those of the opposite sex with whom he was in the -relation of a good comrade. He enjoyed these morning snatches of -intimacy, with an enjoyment untouched with any seriousness. This -morning, as he took the telephone in hand, he thought first of Emma -Fornez, but as he had neglected to make his adieu to her on leaving with -Nan Charters, he considered a moment while he formulated an acceptable -apology. - -The prima donna answered him from the languid idleness of her bed, where -she was resting in a state of complete exhaustion. - -"I am ab-so-lutely _fini_," she said in an anguished tone. "It is -fright-ful. I shall never be able to sing--never!" Then she -remembered. "I am very angry with you--yes, yes,--very angry." - -Beecher explained, with crocodile tears, how he had been forced to come -to the aid of a distressed and helpless female. - -"Ta-ta-ta! Stuff and nonsense! You could have boxed her up in a -carriage and sent her home--yes, yes, you could. But you are in -love--you are weak--you wanted an excuse--she made a fool of you--she -twisted you around her finger!" - -Beecher denied the charge with indignation. - -"If you wanted to, you could have come back to me--yes, you could." - -"But you had deserted me--I was furious." - -The conversation continued ten minutes on these purely conventional -lines and ended with a promise to drop in that afternoon for tea. - -He had hardly ended when Mrs. Fontaine called up with an invitation to -her box, for Mme. Fornez's debut in Carmen the following week. - -Then he called up Miss Rivers, not because he particularly wished to -talk with her, for he had determined on her decapitation, so to speak, -but in order to appease somewhat the desire he had to telephone some one -else. In conversing over the telephone, he felt a revival of interest -and promised to try to drop in for a call that afternoon. - -He rose, looking down at the telephone in a dissatisfied way, and, -turning his back, went in search of his hat. - -"She'll expect me to telephone, of course," he thought; "besides, what -excuse could I give? I'm not going to play into her game--not by a long -shot. I know the kind--entirely too much brain-work to suit me. Oh, -yes, she'd like to annex me--because I've been attentive to Emma -Fornez--sure; but when it comes down to business. Mr. Charles Lorraine -has a hundred thousand a year and I have thirty. She knows that." He -laughed disdainfully and repeated, "You bet she knows that--well, so do -I." - -He returned to the sitting-room and selected a cane, glancing out of the -corner of his eye at the accursed telephone. - -"I won't," he said, taking three steps toward it and then turning -abruptly away. - -At the moment when he stood wavering, it began to ring. He went to it -hastily. Miss Charters was calling him... - -"How lucky!" he said purposely. "I was just going out. I heard you -from the hall." - -"You know, I never realized until this morning what I had done," said -the voice at the other end. "I was so upset by Mr. Lorraine's condition -that I forgot you were there with Madame Fornez." - -"Clever girl," he said to himself, smiling. Then aloud: "Oh, I -explained matters." - -"I was afraid I'd got you into trouble." - -"No, indeed. Madame Fornez is a good sort; she understood at once." - -"I'm so glad. You've 'phoned her already then?" - -"Yes." - -He remembered McKenna's suggestion, but he did not wish to make the -demand direct. - -"Something of a smash in Wall Street to-day," he said carelessly. - -"You weren't caught, were you?" she said, with a note of quick sympathy -which he admired. - -"No; I don't speculate." - -"I was afraid you might have." - -"By Jove," he said, "I hope you didn't lose anything." - -"No, I don't think so," she said doubtfully. "I had some money -invested, but I suppose if I hold on that'll come up again." - -"Not on margins?" - -"No, indeed." - -"Who's your broker?" - -"Mr. Garraboy." - -"Who?" - -"Mr. Garraboy." - -The news produced on him a strangely ominous effect. He forgot all the -parleying and the tactical planning of his campaign, overshadowed by a -sudden sense of sympathy. - -"I want to talk to you about that," he said anxiously. "Have you much -in his hands?" - -"Much for me--about twenty thousand." - -"Are you going to be in this afternoon? Can I see you?" - -"I wish you would." - -Something in her voice struck him by its weakness. - -"You are not worried, are you?" he said. - -"A little." - -"Why don't you call him up?" - -"I've been trying to." - -He was going to offer to telephone for her, when he remembered the -antagonism he had felt for the broker, and refrained until a fuller -knowledge. He reassured her, making light of her doubts, though feeling -an instinctive anxiety for himself. Then he called up McKenna; but the -detective was out, and, leaving word that he would try later, he went -for his morning ride. - -A little before one o'clock he was in the softly lighted studio of Mrs. -Kildair, waiting for his hostess with the pleasurable anticipation of a -confidential tete-a-tete. On one thing he was thoroughly resolved--to -convince her of the seriousness of his purpose in offering his -assistance. As he paced slowly and irregularly about the room, his -mind, perplexed by the mystery of the disappearance of the ring, -instinctively considering the possibilities for concealment, he was -surprised to hear, behind the closed doors of the bedroom, the sound of -voices in agitated discussion. He stopped, perplexed, for in his walk -about the room he had arrived at a point in such close proximity that -the tones were easily distinguishable. - -"But I have already made up my mind," cried a voice which he recognized -at once as Mrs. Bloodgood's. - -Mrs. Kildair answered her, but in a lower tone--a note of warning and -remonstrance. - -"Oh, what do I care for the world!" repeated the voice, on a higher -note. "The world is all against me. I have only one life--I want to -live some of it." - -Beecher, ill at ease, realizing that he had stumbled on a situation -which he had no right to surprise, tip-toed away. Hardly had he seated -himself when the door opened brusquely, and Mrs. Bloodgood appeared, -saying: - -"No, no; it is decided. I'm going. My only regret is that we waited so -long." - -Two spots of red showed on her dark cheeks, while her head was carried -defiant, alive with sudden energy. Beecher was struck with the unwonted -brilliancy and youth which the emotion that possessed her had -communicated to her whole body. Mrs. Kildair followed her, with the -frown of one who disapproves, but who knows the futility of any -contradiction. - -Beecher rose hastily, emerging from the shadow. The two women stopped, -surprised at his presence, considering him nervously. The few snatches -of conversation he had heard, coupled with what Gunther had revealed to -him of the infatuation of Mrs. Bloodgood and Majendie, made him divine -the intention of elopement they had been discussing. His sympathy was -touched by the distress of the young woman, and, advancing quickly, he -said, with a pretense of shame: - -"By Jove, I must have been nodding! A thousand pardons." - -"How long have you been here?" said Mrs. Kildair. - -"About ten minutes," he said, rubbing his eyes and laughing. "Confound -that chair--it's infernally comfortable, after being up all night. You -made me jump." - -Mrs. Bloodgood had regained her calm. She embraced Mrs. Kildair and -held out her hand to Beecher. - -"Won't you let me see you to your carriage?" he said eagerly, with a -smile of such good will that she perceived that whatever he had -overheard, she had no need to fear. - -"It's not necessary--but thank you," she said, giving him a grateful -smile. - -He went to the door, opening it with a little exaggerated courtesy, and -returned thoughtfully to Mrs. Kildair, who was watching him fixedly. - -"You overheard?" she said directly. - -"A little." - -"And what did you understand from it?" - -"Why, frankly, knowing what I do, I should believe that Mrs. Bloodgood -had decided to run away," he answered slowly; "which means, of course, -one man. I am sorry. I could not help hearing." - -Mrs. Kildair had seated herself on the Recamier sofa and was studying -him, undecided as to what she should say. - -"You have heard too much, Teddy, not to know all," she said, reassured -by the directness of his glance. "Besides, in twenty-four hours it will -be in every paper in the country. I do not need to ask your promise to -keep secret what you have heard. She is leaving her home and going -openly away with Mr. Majendie--this very afternoon." - -"Majendie running off?" said Beecher, astounded. - -"Yes." - -"Now--at such a time as this--when he is under fire? I don't believe -it!" - -"I should not have believed it either," said Mrs. Kildair thoughtfully. - -"I know his kind," declared Beecher warmly; "he would never commit such -a folly--never!" - -"And yet, that is what is going to happen." - -"That is terrible. Doesn't she realize that he lays himself open to -every charge? He'll be called a defaulter and an absconder--it is worse -than death!" - -"She realizes nothing," said Mrs. Kildair in a solemn voice, "except -that she has hated one man and lived with him ten years, and that now, -when everything is against the man she adores, she will sacrifice -anything to be at his side." - -"But the sacrifice he is making--" - -"Her sacrifice is too great--she doesn't realize that," said Mrs. -Kildair, rising. "Poor Elise! Her life has been terrible. She is wild -with anxiety, with the thought of what Majendie may do. When one has -suffered as much as she has, one more sorrow will not stop her." - -Beecher was silent, overcome by the vision of an emptiness which he -could divine only in a general way, having as yet little knowledge of -the silent tragedies that pass at our elbows. When Mrs. Kildair turned -again, it was with all her accustomed poise. - -"We can do nothing," she said calmly. "Let us forget it. Luncheon is a -little late. We shall be three; I asked Mr. Slade to join us. By the -way, you were kind enough to offer me your help in the matter of my -ring. I shan't need it now, but thanks all the same." - -"What do you mean?" he asked, surprised. - -"My detectives assure me they are on the right track," she said -carelessly. "All I ask of you, as I have of every one, is to keep this -unfortunate occurrence to yourself." - -Beecher had been on the point of informing her of his retaining McKenna, -confident of her approval. Ignorant as he was of Mrs. Kildair's dread -that Slade's ownership of the ring might come to light, with all the -consequent public misunderstanding, he was disagreeably impressed by her -announcement. He did not for one moment believe her statement that the -right clue had been found. All he understood was that, for some reason, -she desired to keep him out of the case, and this understanding -irritated him. And the introduction of Slade at what he had considered -his privileged hour annoyed him even more. His curiosity increased -twofold as he was forced to retain his information. Then he remembered -McKenna's hint, and said carelessly: - -"By Jove, that reminds me--I want the address of your detective agency." - -She raised her eyes very slowly, and her glance rested on his for a full -moment. - -"Why do you ask that?" she said. - -He repeated the story he had prepared of a friend's demand, mentioning -Gunther's name. - -Mrs. Kildair rose as though reluctantly, motioning him to wait, and, -going to her room, returned after a long moment with an address on a -slip of paper. - -"There, Teddy," she said, giving it to him. Her manner had completely -changed. She was again the Rita Kildair who treated him _en camarade_. -"You are disappointed in not working out an exciting mystery," she said, -laughing. "Do you know, Teddy, I am quite surprised at you." - -"How so?" he said warily. - -"I should have thought by this time you would have engaged half the -detectives in New York," she said, turning from him to arrange the -cushions at her back. "And here you have done nothing." - -Beecher was not deceived by the innocence of the interrogation. - -In the last days his wits had been trained by contact with different -feminine personalities. He understood that she wished to find out what -he had done and assumed at once an attitude of boyish candor. - -"It's not my fault, Rita," he said contritely. "You put me off--you -remember." - -"That's so," she said. She motioned to him with a little gesture of her -fingers and indicated a chair at her side. "Come here, you great boy," -she said, smiling. "You are furious at me, aren't you?" - -"Why?" he said, sitting near her, with a resolve to resist all her -curiosity. - -"You like to be the confidant of pretty women, Teddy," she said, -laughing as he blushed. "To be on the inside--to know what others -can't. Well, you shan't be deprived." - -He looked at her in surprise. - -"What I told you is not true," she said candidly. "I have no clue, as -yet, and am quite in the dark. I give you permission to do all you can. -You see," she continued, holding out her hand with a charming smile, "I -give you my full confidence--confidence for confidence--_n'est ce pas_?" - -Beecher made a rapid mental reservation and repeated her phrase, -expecting a direct examination, but her manner became thoughtful again -and she said pensively: - -"Besides, you have stumbled on a confidence yourself, and if you are to -be trusted with that you should be trusted entirely." She looked at him -quietly for a moment, and then added: "As a proof of my trust, Teddy, I -am going to ask you to be my ally now. Mr. Slade will be here shortly. -I do not wish to be alone with him. Do not go until he is gone." - -This request, implying as it did his own superior intimacy, delighted -Beecher. He felt half of his suspicions vanish as he answered wisely: - -"I understand. He is quite daffy about you, isn't he?" - -"Quite. But he has to be kept in place." - -"Oh, of course." - -"And now you are happy again," she said, tapping his arm with a little -friendly gesture and smiling inwardly at the satisfaction which began to -radiate from his face. "Teddy, you are a nice boy. I will teach you -what the world is; you shall be my confidant, and we will laugh -together; only, you must not be sentimental, you understand." - -"Never," he said with vigorous assertion. Then his conscience began to -reprove him, and he blurted out: "I say, Rita, I haven't been quite -honest, but you rubbed me the wrong way. I really have been on the -job." - -"Besides Gunther, whom else have you talked with?" she asked. - -"McKenna, the detective; and he's dead keen on the case," he said -enthusiastically, not noticing what she had implied. - -"Oh, McKenna!" she said, nodding appreciatively. "You have done well." - -She sat up, suddenly serious, and, extending her hand, took from him the -address she had given him. - -"Did McKenna tell you to find out my detective?" she said slowly. - -Beecher comprehended all at once how he had played into her game, but, -with her glance on his, it was impossible to deny. - -"Yes," he said; "he told me that he'd been on a dozen cases where the -detectives who had come in to make a search had gone partners with the -thief. He wanted to be certain there had been a real search." - -This seemed to reassure her, for she nodded with a return of her -careless manner, as though comprehending the situation. Then, crumpling -in her hands the paper with the address, she allowed her body to regain -its former languid position and said: - -"I should like to meet McKenna; you must bring him around. How is he -starting on the case?" - -Before Beecher could answer, the bell rang and Slade's bulky figure -crowded the frame of the doorway. He entered, and the portieres, at his -passing, rolled back like two storm clouds. - -Whether or not Mrs. Kildair had calculated the effect of the intimacy of -Beecher's position, Slade saw it at once as he noted savagely the -involuntary separating movement which each unconsciously performed, and, -perceiving it, exaggerated its importance. The look he gave the younger -man revealed to the amused woman how much he would have liked in -barbaric freedom to have seized him and crushed him in his powerful -arms. - -"Sorry to be late," he said abruptly, glancing at the clock. "I've -taken the liberty to leave your telephone number, Mrs. Kildair, in case -something important turns up." - -They passed immediately into the dining-room, Mrs. Kildair enjoying this -clash of opposite personalities. Slade was not a man of small talk, -disdaining the easy and ingratiating phrases with which other men -establish a congenial intimacy. For the first quarter of an hour he -withdrew from the conversation, and, being hungry, ate with relish. -Beecher, abetted by his hostess, taking a malicious pleasure in the -superiority he enjoyed, chatted of a hundred and one things which he -shared with his listener, incidents of the party at Lindabury's, gossip -of the world they knew, Emma Fornez and Holliday, Mrs. Fontaine and -Gunther. Then, naturally drawn to the one topic that charged the air -with the electricity of its drama, he related the uproar in the city, -the long lines of depositors before the banks, the incident of Bo Lynch -in the morning, and the effect on the men they knew. In this both he -and Mrs. Kildair had an ulterior motive--to make Slade talk: Mrs. -Kildair, for reasons of her own, Beecher alive to his dramatic closeness -to the one man about whose success or ruin all the storm of rumor and -gossip was raging. - -"Stocks are still dropping," said Mrs. Kildair, glancing at Slade, who -appeared quite unconscious. "An enormous quantity of holdings have been -thrown on the market." - -"How long do you think it will keep up?" - -"That depends; a day, a week--Mr. Slade knows better than any one." - -Slade looked up suddenly. - -"What do they say about me?" he asked grimly. - -"Every one expects the Associated Trust to be the next," said Beecher -frankly. - -"Probably. I'll tell you one bit of news," he added quietly. "The -Clearing-house will refuse to clear for us this afternoon." - -"But that means failure," said Mrs. Kildair, with a quick glance at him. - -"We shall see." - -"But the run has already started." - -"Oh, yes; we have paid off five depositors already," he said, with a -smile that was almost imperceptible. - -"Only five?" - -"It takes a long time to verify some accounts. Then the law allows -discretion in payment--takes quite a while to count out five thousand in -half dollars." All at once he leaned forward heavily and began to -speak, contemplatively interested. "The real truth is the thing that is -never known. The newspapers never print the news. Sometimes it is -given to them in confidence, to make certain that they won't print it. -How much do you suppose will ever be known of the real causes of the -present crisis? Nothing. They may let the market go to the dogs for -three days, six days, a month, ruin thousands of victims, and the public -will never know that the whole thing can be stopped now, in twenty-four -hours, by ten men. And, when they get ready, ten men _will_ stop it. -Then there'll be columns of adulation--patriotic services, unselfish -devotion, and all that; and what will have happened--ten men will be in -pocket a few millions as the result of their sacrificing devotion. The -public must have a victim in order to be calmed, to be satisfied that -everything has been changed. Then a weak man, some unlucky lieutenant, -will be served up, and things will go on again, until one group of -millions is ready to attack another. How the public will howl! Majendie -has taken the gambler's risk; Majendie has failed. There's the -crime--failure; and yet, ninety per cent. of the fortunes today have -turned on the scale--up or down--win or lose. For every promoter that -wins, twenty fail with a little different turn of the luck. - -"We're all criminals--only we don't steal directly. We get it done for -us. We want franchises for a great railroad system. We shut our -eyes--hire an agent--go out and get this, no strings, no -directions--show us only your results! Everything is in -irresponsibility. A million dollars can commit no crime. After all, -it's in the motive--a man who steals because he's hungry is a thief; a -corporation that bribes a legislature and steals franchises, to create a -great system of transportation, is performing a public service. It's -all in what you're after. There're two ways to look at every big man; -see the two periods--first, when he is trying to get together -money--power; and second, what he creates when he has it. Same in -politics--a man's better in office than running for it. Every man of -power wants to arrive, anything to arrive, but when he gets -there--then's the second period. The way to judge us is whether we want -money only, or money to create something big." - -"And you?" - -"I want sixty millions," said Slade abruptly. "Will I get it?" He -shrugged his shoulders, and taking a knife balanced it in seesaw on his -finger, letting it finally drop with an exclamation of impatience. -"That's the danger--the getting of it. I may have it in two years more -and then again--" He opened his hand as though flinging sand in the -air, and added: "In a week it may be over. _Rouge et noir_--one bad -turn at the beginning and Napoleon Bonaparte would have been shot as a -conspirator. Up to the present, I've been living the first -period--afterward I'll justify it; I'll build." - -"In what way?" said Mrs. Kildair, who, while following his brutal -exposition with the tribute instinctive to force, was nevertheless aware -that this unusual revelation of himself had likewise a trifling -object--the over-awing of the younger rival. - -"Railroads--a great system--an empire in itself," said Slade; and there -came in his eyes a flash of the enthusiast which surprised her. But, -unwilling to enlarge on this topic, he continued: "What I've said sounds -raw, doesn't it? So it is. If I do what I want, I justify myself. -There are only two classes of human beings--those like you two here, who -get through life with the most pleasure you can, who get through--pass -through; and then a few, a handful, who create something--an empire, -like Rhodes, invent a locomotive or a system of electric production, add -something to human history. What if they steal, or grind out the lives -of others? They're the only ones who count. And the public knows it--it -forgives everything to greatness; it's only petty crime it hates. Look -at the sympathy a murderer gets on trial--look at the respect a great -manipulator gets. Why? Because to murder and steal are natural human -instincts. A couple of thousand years ago, it was a praiseworthy act -for one ancestor, who coveted a hide or a cave that another ancestor -had, to go out and kill him. All animals steal by instinct. We are -only badly educated animals, and we admire in others what we don't dare -do ourselves. Only succeed--succeed! Ah, there is the whole of it!" - -At this moment the telephone rang, and Slade rose and went to it with a -little more emotion than he usually showed. - -"Is this the cause of his outburst?" thought Mrs. Kildair, while she and -Beecher instinctively remained silent. - -At the end of a short moment, Slade returned. The two observers, who -glanced at him quickly, could not find the slightest clue of what had -transpired. Only he seemed more composed. - -"Speaking of stealing, take the case of the ring," he said, relaxing in -a chair. "We know this--incredible as it may seem--that there were at -least two thieves in the company; as a matter of fact, there were many -more. My own opinion is that the crime was not an ordinary one--that -whoever took it the second time took it out of an uncontrollable spirit -of bravado, an overpowering impulse to do an almost impossible thing." - -"By the way--" Beecher began, and then suddenly looked at Mrs. Kildair -interrogatively. Then, receiving permission, he continued: "You know -who returned that night?" - -Slade nodded. - -"Yourself, Mrs. Cheever, Garraboy, and Miss Charters." - -"Miss Charters?" said Beecher, turning in amazement to Mrs. Kildair. - -She nodded, with a little frown. - -"As I told Mrs. Kildair," said Slade, not noticing that Beecher, -overwhelmed by this discovery, did not hear him, "I do not believe for a -moment that the thief would return. Any one who had the daring to seize -the ring the second time had the daring to carry off the ring; in fact, -had some such plan in mind. Whoever came back may have come back out of -sympathy, or with the idea that the ring was still in the studio--in -which case, we have a third manifestation of instinct." - -They had passed into the studio again. Slade spoke with all his old -decision, the energy of action replacing the bitterness of his former -meditative mood. He glanced at the clock, and took his leave in a -quick, impersonal manner. Beecher, ignoring the looks Mrs. Kildair sent -him, departed with Slade, refusing an invitation to join him in the -automobile, and continuing on foot. - -He was absolutely at a loss to account for Miss Charters' returning to -the studio after having gone to her apartment. If she had any -suggestion to offer, why had she not waited, or even requested him to -return with her? Why, in fact, could she not have waited until the -following day--instead of risking the journey at such an hour? - -Full of disturbing surmises, he continued his walk until he reached the -great thoroughfare of Forty-second Street, where he turned eastward -toward the station, oblivious to the excitement in the street, the -break-neck arrival of the newspaper wagons and the sudden, shrill -scattering of urchins, extras in hand. - -All at once, at the western corner of the station, he raised his eyes -instinctively. A coupe with trunks behind it disengaged itself from the -confusion of traffic and, turning, slowly passed him. Inside, he -recognized the dark, defiant eyes of Mrs. Enos Bloodgood. - -In a moment he guessed the full significance of her presence: she had -come to meet Majendie, to burn all bridges behind her, in the supreme -sacrifice of everything for the possession of a happiness she had never -known. - -The next instant he was gazing horror-stricken at the head-lines of an -extra that a newsboy flung in his face: - - - SUICIDE OF BERNARD L. MAJENDIE - - -He became perfectly collected, clear in mind and instinctive in action, -with the decision he had felt in the last charges of a wounded elephant. -If Mrs. Bloodgood were here, it was because she expected to meet -Majendie; because she was ignorant of the tragedy that had taken place. - -Retracing his steps, he arrived at the carriage the moment Mrs. -Bloodgood's hand had thrown open the door. - -"Excuse me," he said, with an authority which instantly impressed the -woman by its ominous seriousness. "Something terrible has happened. I -must speak to you." Then, turning to the coachman, without being -overheard, he gave him Mrs. Kildair's address, saying: "Drive there -quickly. Five dollars to you if you get me there in ten minutes." - -Then he opened the door and joined the woman who, drawn back in the -corner like an animal at bay, already trembling with what she did not -know, awaited him. - - - - - *CHAPTER XI* - - -For an interval, while the coachman, spurred on by the prospect of -reward, tore through the short streets, Beecher continued looking into -Mrs. Bloodgood's eyes--eyes that were aghast with mute, terrified -interrogations which she did not dare to phrase. - -Suddenly she perceived the extra which he had bought. She extended her -hand, looking at it fearfully. - -"Give it to me," she said. - -He hesitated, and in the moment of irresolution she seized it. A cry of -pain, a low cry torn from the soul, made him stiffen in his seat, -steeling himself against the expected. But no further sound came. When -he turned, she was sitting transfixed, staring wide-eyed at the -newspaper which seemed glued to her fingers. Alarmed at the rigidity of -her emotion, he leaned over and disengaged the paper from her -unresisting fingers. The action seemed abruptly to revive her. She -gave another cry, and tore the newspaper from him with such energy that -a great, ill-shaped fragment remained in her clutch. - -"No, no, not that--no, no!" she cried, frantically seeking to decipher -the bare six lines that recorded the tragedy. All at once she flung the -sheet from her, turning to read the truth in his face. - -"Ah, it is true!" she cried, and her hand, as though holding him guilty -of the fact, violently pushed him from her. - -"Mrs. Bloodgood--" Beecher began hesitatingly, frightened at the -paroxysm that shook her body. - -But the emotion was still of horror, without as yet the realization of -the finality that had come. She felt that Majendie was in danger--in -terrible danger; that she must get to him, somehow, some way, and fling -herself in front of that awful something that threatened him, ward off, -in some way prevent, the thing that was coming. She seized the arm of -the terrified young man, imploring him, still dry-eyed: - -"Take me to him--at once--no--I must--take me--Bernard--oh!" - -She fell back exhausted, faint. - -"Be calm; please be calm," he repeated, helpless before the utter -disorder of her suffering. - -All at once the annihilation of self into which she had fallen was -succeeded by a quick paroxysm of energy. She bounded upright on the -seat, seizing his arm so that the nails hurt him. - -"I will go to him!" she cried. "You shall not stop me. He may be only -wounded. The report is false--must be false. I will go to him!" - -"The very thing that you must not do--that you can not do," he said -firmly; and then, seized with an inspiration, he added: "Listen--listen -to me, Mrs. Bloodgood, I am taking you to Rita's; if you must go to him, -go with her. Two women can go; one would cause a great scandal. You -can not put that on him--you must think of him now. We are going to -Rita's--Rita's!" he added, putting his lips to her ears to make her hear -him. - -He put his hand on her shoulder and forced her gently back. She held -her clasped hands rigidly strained between her knees, staring out beyond -the confines of the carriage. - -"He is not dead," she said in a whisper; "he is wounded." - -"As soon as we get to Rita's," he continued reassuringly, "I will -telephone. I'll find out everything." - -"Wounded," she repeated, nodding--without hearing him. - -"If he is, we three can go--it will seem quite natural," he said -hastily, eying nervously her dry, uncomprehending grief, fearing the -coming outburst of realization. - -"Almost there," he said, looking out of the window. "Hold on to -yourself. Be game. There are always a few persons below." - -She did not answer, but her lips curled slightly in contempt, and she -put her hand spasmodically to her throat. - -"You're right, the whole thing may be false--a wild rumor," he said -quickly, talking to her as to a child. "A fake story--who knows? See, -there are no details. Here we are. A little courage! Go right into the -elevator." - -He signaled the driver to wait, and followed her hastily into the -elevator, standing between her bowed figure and the boy. - -Mrs. Kildair was in the studio, pacing the floor; and at the first -glance each saw that she knew the report, and that it was true. Mrs. -Bloodgood crumpled on the floor, without consciousness. - -"My smelling-salts are on my bureau," said Mrs. Kildair quickly. "Lift -her on the sofa first, and then get them." - -"Is it true?" he said, raising the slender, lifeless body. - -"Yes." - -"Dead?" - -"Yes." - -"When did it happen?" - -"At two o'clock." - -"She wishes to go to him," he said warningly. "The carriage is below. -She has her trunks. She was to have met him at the station. What shall -I do?" - -"She must be gotten back to her house as soon as possible," said Mrs. -Kildair with energy. "The trunks must return at once. Everything hangs -on a hair; I know Bloodgood." She cast a glance at the still inanimate -body and added: "Wait. Spirits of ammonia will be better. I'll get -it." - -Mrs. Bloodgood returned to consciousness slowly, looking from one to the -other with a dazed, pleading look. - -"Then it is so," she said at last. - -The two looked at her without being able to answer. Suddenly she -bounded up erect, her fists striking her forehead. - -"It is I who have done it!" she cried, and for the second time fell back -lifeless on the floor. - -"Go down now; send the trunks back," said Mrs. Kildair to Beecher. -"Tell him to do it as quickly as possible--no, tell him nothing. Go -quickly." - -When Beecher returned, Mrs. Bloodgood was on her feet again, passing -from spot to spot ceaselessly, one hand clutching a handkerchief to -press back the sobs that shook her from time to time, the other -stretched out in front of her, beating a mechanical time to the one -phrase which she repeated again and again: - -"I've done it--I've done it--I've done it!" - -Mrs. Kildair, leaning by the piano, knowing that each period must have -its expression, awaited the right moment. Beecher, at a sign from her, -slipped quietly into a chair. - -"Yes, it's I--it's I--I!" said the indistinguishable voice. - -"You have done nothing," said Mrs. Kildair solemnly. "It is fate." - -"No, no. Only I am to blame," she answered, stopping short, each word -coming slowly through the torrents of tears. - -Mrs. Kildair passed quietly to her side. - -"You are not to blame, dear," she said; "don't think that." - -"Oh, you don't know," she said, suddenly acquiring a terrible calm that -froze the young man. "At what time did he--did it happen?" - -"At two." - -"I knew it! Ten minutes before, he telephoned me; he said--oh, what do -I know?--said a thousand things but the one in his mind. Asked me if I -still was resolved to go." - -"But then, Elise--" - -"You don't understand! It was I who insisted on his going--I--I! I -told him, if he would not go, I would come openly to his house--I would -not be separated from him. Oh, my God! I didn't know--I didn't!" - -She abandoned herself to her transports once more, flinging herself on -her knees and praying, as an uncomprehending child prays: - -"O God, don't let it be true--please don't let it be so!" - -Beecher covered his eyes suddenly with his hands. Mrs. Kildair allowed -her for a moment to tire herself in supplication and anguish. Then she -went to her, grasping her shoulder. - -"Elise." - -Mrs. Bloodgood stopped, rose, and went to the window, where she stood -swaying. - -"I'm going to him," she said, pressing her knuckles against her temples. - -"Get hold of yourself," said Mrs. Kildair, avoiding the error of -opposition. - -For a long moment neither spoke, while Mrs. Bloodgood, passing to and -fro, struggled to fight down the sobs that were choking her. At last -she stopped, facing Mrs. Kildair. - -"I am going to him," she said. - -The other woman, with a look of great compassion, shook her head in a -slow negation, looking full at her. - -"But he said I could!" she cried, stretching out her hands toward -Beecher. - -"You can't." - -"But he said so--he promised." - -"No; it is impossible." - -"I _will_ go!" - -"There are twenty reporters waiting for just that," Said Mrs. Kildair. -Then, raising her voice, she said impressively: "Elise, there is -something you must do--something ten times more terrible." - -"What?" - -"Return home--and at once." - -"Never!" The cry burst from her as her whole body was shaken with -indignation. "Never in the world--never again!" - -"Listen," said Mrs. Kildair, seizing her arm, and Beecher was struck -with the savageness of her energy. "Things are no longer the same. You -are alone--absolutely alone. Do you understand what that means--without -a cent--alone?" - -"What do I care?" - -"Not now; but in a week, in a month-- You think you know the greatest -suffering in the world; you don't--the greatest is poverty. Whatever -has happened, you are Mrs. Enos Bloodgood. Only yourself can destroy -that. One life is ended in you. You have loved. That will never come -again--not the same. Life is long and terrible." - -"What, you can suggest such a thing?" said Mrs. Bloodgood, raising her -head indignantly. "Such an infamy?" - -"Yes--because I know. The world is not an equal one. A woman can not -fight as a man can. A year from now, when you can suffer no further, do -you want to wake up in a dingy boarding-house, cut off from all you have -lived in? For a great love--perhaps--but to be alone? No, no! Elise, -you will do as I say because I can see better than you. You are Mrs. -Enos Bloodgood--you have everything that a million women covet. It is -your life; you will go back." - -"Ah, how can you say that to me now?" said Mrs. Bloodgood, pressing her -handkerchief to her eyes. - -"Because the world is different from the world of this morning--because -everything is different, Elise. There are no longer the reasons that -existed. You are alone against the world. You know your husband--one -public word or action, and he will cast you off like an old shoe." - -"How can I go back?" she said, sitting down, half subdued. "How can I -get the strength? I don't know yet what has happened. I can't realize -it--oh, if I had only had my way! If he had only let me leave a -month--two months ago. If I'd only been firm; if we had gone that -night--that night we were here--when I begged him to. If he had only -loved me more than his honor, as I loved him. If only I--" - -"Elise," said the quiet voice of Mrs. Kildair. - -The young woman checked herself, breaking off and moving again; but -almost immediately broke out again: - -"And now you want me to go back to _him_. Oh, if you knew how I hate -him, how I loathe him--what that life means--how cruel he can be, how he -can make me suffer by a word or a look--how he enjoys--" - -"Elise, Elise!" - -"I can't go, Rita, I can't! Don't ask me to go now. Let me stay a -while here, just tonight, where I can weep," she cried. - -"No, no. It must be now--soon. You have left your home with your -trunks--he knows it. If you return--you return because you are -worried--the panic--on his account." - -"Ah, what a lie!" - -"Elise," said Mrs. Kildair, coming forward again and arresting the -other's arm, "listen. You are not what I am. You are not strong--you -are weak. You are a woman of the world, worldly, loving worldly things, -who for a moment has been transformed by a great passion. The whole -earth has no such passion any longer. Do you understand? Something is -gone--your youth is ended. Keep tight hold of the little that is left. -Come, be strong. Dissimulate as you have before. Come." - -"Not now," said Mrs. Bloodgood, terrified. - -"Yes, now. If possible, you must be back before he returns." - -And Beecher, from his chair where he had watched, forgotten by both -women, saw Mrs. Kildair, who not for a moment had deviated from the -vital issue, draw the unresisting woman by the very force of her energy -into the bedroom, from which shortly they emerged again. - -"I am ready," said Mrs. Bloodgood in a voice that was scarcely -distinguishable. She had thrown over her head a thick veil, behind -which her features were only dimly visible. - -"Telephone for a carriage," said Mrs. Kildair. - -"I have done so," said Beecher, who had availed himself of the interval. - -"But the trunks?" said Mrs. Bloodgood, turning helplessly. - -"They went back long ago." - -"Ah!" She took a few weak steps and turned. "But I shall see him?" - -"I give you my word." - -"Tonight?" - -"Tonight." - -Mrs. Bloodgood made a little sign of acquiescence, and passed out of the -door. The carriage was waiting. Beecher silently handed her into it, -feeling the sudden heaviness on his arm. They rolled away. She did not -lift her veil, and he could not guess what look was on her face. Twice -she made him change their course, in order to put off the final dreaded -moment. - -"You have been kind," she said at last. "I owe you much. Thank you. -Now I will go back." - -"Don't speak of thanks at such a time," he said hastily. "If I can help -you in any way, any time--" - -"I know." All at once, forgetting his presence, she burst out: "Oh, how -I loved him! I would have done anything for him--anything! I can't -believe it. It doesn't seem possible!" - -"Be careful, Mrs. Bloodgood," he said, alarmed. "Be careful--please." - -"You need have no fear," she said slowly. "All that is over." But, -still obsessed, she seized his arm. "Only I want you to know that I -loved him so that nothing made any difference. Any one can know it. I -would have gone--" - -"I know it," he said quickly, taking her hand to quiet her. - -"Oh, yes, I loved him--the only real thing in my life!" she repeated, -sinking back. - -Ahead he saw the great Italian facade of the Bloodgood residence, where -twenty servants awaited the call of this shadow at his side, whose -invitation could make a social reputation. Then his quick eye, as they -neared the steps, perceived the squat, stolid figure of Mr. Enos -Bloodgood at the door. - -"He is just come out--your husband," he said hurriedly, with a sudden -new sensation of dread. And he repeated, a little excitement in his -voice, fearing she did not understand the danger: "Be careful; he is -there--your husband." - -"Yes, I saw him." - -She took the veil from her hat, and, folding it, handed it to him, her -face set in hardness and contempt. - -"You might say Mrs. Kildair had invited--" - -"I know what to say," she said, checking him, and a smile incongruous at -the moment gave the last touch of tragedy to the imagination of her -companion. "Open the door." - -He gazed at her, struck with the strange, dual personality in the frail, -proud body--the abandon of the woman who loved and the calm of the woman -who hated. She who a moment before had cared nothing for what she -revealed to him in the unrestraint of her sorrow, did not hesitate now a -moment, face to face with the peril of such a confrontation. - -"Open the door," she repeated sharply. - -Recalled to his senses, he sprang out and gave her his hand, -accompanying her to the chiseled marble steps, where he left her, with a -lift of his hat to the husband above who awaited her with a quiet, -cynical enjoyment. - -"I thought, my dear, you had gone off for a jolly little jaunt," said -Mr. Bloodgood, without variation in the provoking evenness of his voice. - -She came up the steps to his level, and acknowledged his presence with -an inclination of her head. - -"I intended to," she said, in the same ceremonious tone. "But I was so -alarmed at the news from Wall Street that I did not wish to leave you at -such a time." - -"Indeed? I am quite touched," he answered, with perfect solemnity. -"You are always so thoughtful, my dear." - -She entered. He followed her as though shutting off all retreat, and -the gorgeous flunky who had run out disappeared, too. To Beecher, with -all the anguish of the scene at Rita Kildair's still vivid in his mind, -it was as though he had seen a living woman enter her appointed tomb. - -"Where shall I drive, sir?" said the driver. - -"Anywhere!" he cried furiously. - -But at the end of five minutes he emerged from the stupor into which he -had been plunged, the somber horror rolling away like scudding -storm-clouds. A new emotion--the inevitable personal application--broke -over him like a ray of light. - -"To be loved like that--" he thought suddenly, with a feeling of envy. -"Terrible, terrible--and yet how marvelous!" - -He gave directions to drive to Nan Charters' with a new curiosity in his -soul--the inevitable personal emotion that, strangely enough, even -against his will, dominated all the somber melancholy which this reverse -of a glittering medal had brought him. - - - - - *CHAPTER XII* - - -He had completely forgotten, in the press of dramatic events, the -disturbing fact of Nan Charters' return the night of the theft. He -remembered it suddenly, as one remembers sorrow after a profound sleep. -But the recalling of it affected him differently. The revelation of -Mrs. Bloodgood's hidden life had left him in a dangerous and vulnerable -mood--a mood of quickened compassion and outgoing sympathy. He was -still determined to force a direct answer from Miss Charters, but -already he had formed that answer in his heart, as he for the hour felt -no longer the selfish combat of vanity, but the need of charity and -gentleness. - -In one of the profound moods which color the visible world, he stood at -the window of the little sitting-room, awaiting her arrival, looking out -on the serried flight of unutterably commonplace roofs, gray and drab -with the gray of the turning day. And it seemed to him that this -twilight was different from other twilights, heavily weighted down with -more of the sadness of inexplicable lives. One tragedy seemed to invoke -a thousand tragedies, in the cramped immobility of these inscrutable -windows which had not yet begun to warm with the flicker of human cheer. -He saw only the brutal struggle to live, and felt only the mystery of -suffering, which was still a thing apart from his life. Standing -reverently thus, he asked himself two questions which, sooner or later, -each man of heart and sensibility puts to himself in the awakening to -conscious existence: - -"Why do they go on?" - -"What is my justification?" - -And in his heart, still young and stirred to sympathy, he felt the -beginning of a revolt at what he had been, at his inability to find a -satisfying answer to that second question. He no longer awaited the -interview in the spirit of strife, but with a sudden feeling of -impulsive friendliness which, had he been an older man, might have -alarmed him with its dangers. The profound melancholy of youth, violent -because unconquered and strange, had him still in its grip when, all at -once, he felt an emotion of well-being and returning comfort. - -She came into the room and without formal greeting gave him her hand -with a welcome in her eyes, as though their friendship were of such -strong duration that formalities were out of place. - -"Draw the curtains," she said, going to the electric lamp on the table, -which woke like a golden sun from the shadows. "It's cozier. Shall we -light the fire? Yes, it's more cheery." - -"Let me," he said hastily. - -"Quite unnecessary." - -He watched her sudden stooping movement, that brought the loose, -intricate tea-gown about her agile body, outlining the limbs, which had -the quick animal grace that is peculiar to the unconquered maiden. Her -pose, strong and alive with power and self-reliance, recalled to him -sharply the sense of opposition. He was annoyed that she should have -done so naturally what he should have done, feeling in her too much -self-reliance. - -She rose, looking down with a childish delight at the sudden burst and -roar of the flame. Then she turned, studying his face. The artist in -her made her quickly aware of the remnants of the emotion which had -stirred him. - -"What is it?" she said, with the gentleness that was tantalizing to him. -"You have a strange look." - -"Yes," he answered; "I have been behind the scenes." - -"What do you mean?" - -"I have been with Mrs. Bloodgood all the afternoon--found her at the -station as she was leaving." - -"Mrs. Bloodgood was running away," she said, puzzled, but with a fear in -her eyes that did not escape him. - -"What--you did not know!" he exclaimed. "Majendie killed himself this -afternoon at two o'clock." - -"Majendie--Mrs. Bloodgood!" - -She looked at him a moment with a face struck with horror, and then fell -back into a chair, seized with the suddenness of the climax. - -"I beg your pardon; I thought you knew," he blurted out. - -"No, no--nothing. Tell me--tell me all," she said; and he saw that back -of her alarm was a significance to her that heightened the effect of the -tragedy. - -He told her first the bare details of the suicide as he knew them; and -then, in response to her hurried questions, began to retell the -afternoon. He spoke impulsively, almost as an echo of the drama he had -witnessed. Occasionally she stopped him with a more detailed question. -Moved out of his self-consciousness, he described, more eloquently than -he knew, the conflict between the two women at Mrs. Kildair's, and the -emotions which had suddenly brought him wide-eyed to the spectacle of -the black, turbulent river of despair. - -"I can't forget it--it haunts me now," he said, when he had ended with -Mrs. Bloodgood's return into the home of her husband. "It makes me see -something in life I didn't understand--that I am just beginning to see." - -He looked at her. Her face was wet with tears. All at once, astonished, -he recalled what he had told. - -"What have I done?" he cried, aghast. "I had no right to repeat it. I -didn't realize what I was saying!" - -"Don't fear," she said, shuddering, and she extended her hands to the -fire, as though the recital had frozen her body. "Poor woman--poor, -lonely woman!" - -He sat down near her, close to the fire, and, stretching out his hand, -touched her arm. - -"Listen, Nan," he said, so profoundly that she could not mistake the -emotion. "It has made a great difference in me. It may be a mood--it -may pass; but I hope it won't. It makes me dissatisfied. Look here--I -don't want to go on as we have, thrusting and parrying. I don't want it -to be just a game. The real feeling in me toward a woman is -different--it's one of chivalry, I know. Let's drop all artifices. -Let's be honest with each other--good friends, or something else, as it -may come." - -She considered the depths of the fire a moment, and turned, looking at -him dreamily, feeling how much older she was in the knowledge of the -doubts of the world than the young, impulsive nature that looked out at -her from such honest eyes. - -"Will you?" he asked, as she looked away again. - -She shook her head, in doubt as to an answer; but the good in her -stirred by the good in him expressed itself in the quick pressure of -thanks which her hand conveyed to him. - -"I am not the least in love," he said quickly. "What I say I say -because--oh, I don't know! I'm dissatisfied with myself. This thing has -gotten below my skin. Life's too rotten. I want you to believe in -me--in my strength. You are sympathetic--_multa sympatica_. I don't -know; I hate to think of your fighting alone such a rotten hard fight." - -She nodded slowly, understanding perhaps better than he his thought, yet -half won to his appeal already. - -She took his hand in both of hers, pressing it in emphasis from time to -time, not looking at him, staring at something that formed before her -eyes. - -"No one has ever spoken to me just like this," she said gently. "One -thing I would never want to happen, Teddy--I would never want to hurt -you! That is why I hesitate--why I am afraid. You are only a great big -boy. You won't understand me. I am very selfish--very worldly." - -"You are nothing of the sort," he said furiously, withdrawing his hand. -"You may think so, but I know you better." - -She turned, amused; but her smile left her as she looked into his eyes. -To her surprise, a feeling of unease came to her; she felt a new -longing--to be for a moment quite childlike and helpless. - -"Don't blunder into anything, Teddy," she answered, shaking her head, -herself a little disturbed. "With some men I would not care. With -you--yes, it would make me feel like a criminal to hurt you." - -He understood that she was warning him of the futility of expecting to -find in her a woman. But if she had calculated, which she had not, on -any move surer to arouse him, she could have found no better expedient. -The impossibility implied, coupled with the impulsive generosity in her -voice, made her a thousand times more desirable. He rose brusquely, -and, standing with his back to the fire, looked down at the dramatic -face, which the flames lighted with the flare of footlights. - -"There are certain things that we must understand together," he said -with authority, obeying the instinct which told him that to succeed he -must take the upper hand. - -Her eyebrows came together in a straight flight. - -"I have not hesitated to trust in you--you must in me. Tell me. You -have reason to suspect that Mrs. Bloodgood took the ring--at least, the -first time?" - -[Illustration: "'I have not hesitated to trust in you--you must in me'"] - -She shook her head, but without anger. - -"Don't you understand," he said quickly, "that I must know why you acted -as you did?" - -Still her only answer was a deep-taken breath. - -"I swear to you, if Mrs. Bloodgood did take it," he said, "I would not -condemn her. On the contrary, I would pity her." - -"Why should Mrs. Bloodgood, who has millions, do such a thing?" she said -quietly. - -"Because, from what I know, Mrs. Bloodgood, who has millions, as the -wife of Enos Bloodgood, has not as much money in her pocket as you or -I." He stopped. "She took it to have some means of escape, didn't -she?" - -"No, she did not take it," she answered, but in a tone that brought no -conviction. - -"You see, I know that you returned to Mrs. Kildair's that night," he -said, irritated. - -"How did you know?" she said quickly. - -"Mrs. Kildair told me--no, that's not true; some one else did." - -"Mrs. Kildair herself called me on the telephone and asked me to come," -she said slowly. - -"And questioned you?" - -"Yes." - -"As to what you had seen?" he said, with a great feeling of relief that -should have warned him of his true interest. - -"Yes." - -"What did you answer?" - -She rose and approached him, looking at him with only friendliness. - -"If the ring is not restored in two weeks," she said, "then I will tell -you what you wish to know." - -"You think that, if Mrs. Bloodgood took it, she will now have no use for -it," he persisted, seizing the idea. - -"I know nothing at all," she answered, emphasizing the "know." "This -promise must satisfy you. I only have a suspicion, and I don't want to -do an injustice to another--remember that. I have never said it was -Mrs. Bloodgood I suspected. Now I want to talk to you about my own -affairs." - -He was covered with contrition that he should have forgotten her -difficulties. - -"Good heavens!" he said hastily. "What have I been thinking of? Please -don't think I don't care; I've been in such a whirl--" - -She checked him with a gesture and a smile, motioning him to sit down -again. - -"Have you had any word?" - -She shook her head. - -"Of course, it's a terrible day on the Street," he hastened to reply. -"Everything's up in the air--they're like a lot of lunatics. Garraboy -hasn't had time to think. That oughtn't to alarm you." - -"But I left word at his office for him to telephone me, and it is now," -she said, glancing at the clock, "an hour and a half since the close." - -"There are probably a hundred inquiries of the same sort awaiting him," -he said to reassure her. "What are you afraid of?" - -"I don't know--and yet I am a little anxious. Suppose he has used my -stocks? Such things happen every day." - -"The best thing is to find out at once how Garraboy stands--if he's been -caught in the drop or not. Then we can take our measures." - -"How'll you do that?" - -"Call up Bruce Gunther and get him on the trail. May I telephone?" - -"Do so." - -"He's probably at the club now," he said, taking up the receiver and -giving a number. "Yes, he's in. That's lucky. I'll get him in a -moment." Then he added irritably: "How the deuce did you ever come to -deal with Garraboy?" - -"Why, I've known him ever since I came to New York. I wanted to invest -some money--I didn't know any one else; and then, he was very--friendly; -wanted to make some money for me. That's how it was." - -"Hello," said Beecher. "Is that you, Bruce? It's I--Ted." - -"Where the deuce have you been?" said the voice at the other end. "I've -been trying to get you all over town." - -"You have?" - -"You bet I have; McKenna's turned up a real clue--wants to see you at -once. Pick me up here at the club, will you?" - -"All right. But say, Bruce, I want you to do something for me. Find -out all you can about Garraboy--you know, the fellow we spoke about. Has -he been on the wrong side of the market or not? Understand? It's -important." - -"I'll do it. Anything else?" - -"Yes. A friend of mine has some stocks with him, about twenty thousand -worth--you see the situation--and she's a little bit worried. Can't get -any satisfaction." - -"Wants 'em back?" - -"Yes. What's the best way to do?" - -"Um! Get a transfer to you and call for them tomorrow." - -"Of course; see you later." - -He put down the telephone and turned gaily to his companion, who was -waiting with anxiety. - -"That's all right. Bruce will get the information and I'll telephone -you this evening. Now, the best way to operate is this." He took out -his check-book and wrote a check for twenty thousand dollars to her -name. "I'll buy those stocks. Here's my check; give me an -acknowledgment for the shares, with an order on Garraboy to deliver." - -She looked at him doubtfully, holding the check gingerly in her fingers. - -"What's the matter?" he said. "If there's any little difference one way -or the other, we can arrange that later." - -"Supposing Garraboy has failed and sold my stocks?" - -"He hasn't." - -"But if he has?" - -"That's my risk," he started to say, but checked himself. "Why, of -course, then it's off. This is just to give me the power to get them -away at once. A man can do what a woman can't." - -She was grateful to him for his perception of delicacy. - -"On that basis, yes," she said. Then she stopped and looked at him with -a whimsical but favoring smile. "As it is, Teddy, what do you know of -me to take even this chance?" - -The opening was too direct. She saw it at once, and, to forestall his -answer, said more lightly: - -"It is a great service. Tell me what to write." - -As she was drawing up the paper under his directions, a placid, -emotionless woman of forty entered from the rear. - -"That Mr. Hargrave is here, Nan dear," she said. "You gave him an -appointment, you know." - -"Mrs. Tilbury, my companion," said Miss Charters. "Very well; in a -moment." - -Mrs. Tilbury passed patiently out to deliver the message. Beecher was -delighted with the correctness and cold respectability of such a -chaperon. - -"Mr. Hargrave is a young dramatist," said Miss Charters, finishing the -document. "He's coming to read some masterpiece to me. He wrote a -one-act piece three years ago that was very clever, and now, of course, -I can't risk refusing to hear him--he might have a work of genius at -last. This is my fourth trial." She put the paper from her -impatiently. "I'm sorry." - -He was displeased also at this sudden recall of the other life in her, -the world of the theater, which crowded the walls with its signed -photographs. - -"I'll telephone as soon as I know," he said, dissembling his irritation. - -She went to the door with him, annoyed also at the interruption. - -"I'm coming tomorrow," he said, and he held out his hand with a little -defiance. - -She did not resent the assumption of right, still introspectively -puzzled at the new moods into which she had fallen. And, still pensive, -she said: - -"Come." - -Below, in the anteroom, he sent a look of antagonism and scorn at a -young man, a little extravagantly dressed, who carried a portfolio under -his arm with a sense, too, of irritation and pride. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIII* - - -When he had gone into the brisk air of the street, his mental vision -returned with the crispness of the night. He was astonished at what he -had said and done. - -"But I am not in love--not in the least," he repeated. "Then what was -it?" - -He was quite perplexed at perceiving the astonishing difference her -presence and her absence made in his attitude. He repeated to himself -quite seriously with a little wonder that, if he were in danger of -falling in love, he would be a prey to that disturbing emotion now, -absent as well as present. - -"I am perfectly calm," he said, flourishing his cane. "Not in the least -excited. It's very queer." - -All the same, he returned to the interview, and recalled the incidents -without illusion. He comprehended now what he had not comprehended -then, the full significance of his offer of friendship--in fact, that it -was not an approach to friendship but to something very different, and -the relations which had now been established between them were those of -confidence and intimacy that lay on the borderline of great emotions. - -"It's very odd," he said, "I wish to be honest and open with her, and -yet I said what I don't feel--suggested what I have not the least -thought of. I'll be hanged if I understand it, unless she has the power -to make me believe in emotions that don't exist,--Emma Fornez was right, -she is the type that provokes you. I must be very careful." - -But one thing he did not perceive--that the city no longer oppressed him -with its bleak struggle and serried poverty, that he swung lightly over -the crisp pavements, breathing the alert and joyous air, that in him the -joy of living awakened, as the myriad lights awoke the city of the -night, the city rising from the fatigue of labor with its avid zest for -pleasure and excitement. - -"What is the clue McKenna's got hold of?" he thought eagerly, as the -massive, cheery windows of the club came into view across the stirring, -care-fleeing homeward rush of the Avenue. - -The moment he entered the crowded anteroom, the tragic day returned with -redoubled gloom. The death of Majendie oppressed every voice--nothing -else was discussed. He found himself caught up in the crowd at the bar, -listening with a strange sense of irony to those who touched in -haphazard the event which he knew so profoundly. The wildest rumors -were current. Majendie had shot himself after the discovery of an -enormous shortage in the funds of the Atlantic Trust. The Atlantic -Trust had been looted, the effect on Wall Street had been to confirm the -wildest rumors, the market would plunge down to-morrow, the awful loss -of the day would be surpassed; it was the panic of '93 over again. The -inevitable mysterious informant in the crowd arrived with a new rumor: -Majendie had tried to escape, had been prevented by detectives, who had -been shadowing him for days, and had then gone in and shot himself just -as the warrant for his arrest arrived. Another gave this version; -Majendie had not shot himself, he had been murdered. - -Every one exclaimed at this. - -"That's the story in the Associated Press offices," continued the -informant obstinately. "A man whose whole fortune was locked up in the -Atlantic--a small depositor--got into the house on some pretext, and -shot him--crazy, of course. It's not been verified, but that's the -story." - -"Tell you what I heard," said another, in a low voice, to a group that -eddied about him. "It's true he was shot, but he wasn't shot in his own -home. He was shot last night in his box at the opera by a man who is as -well known as old Fontaine. The old story, of course, trespassing in -married quarters. The whole thing was kept dark--got him out of the box -after the crowd went out, and took him home, where he died at midnight. -Heard the names in the case, but pledged not to repeat them." - -Each rumor received a momentary credence, in the excitement of the -moment. Some one defending the personal friend, insisted on melancholia -and despondency, citing the example of an uncle who had taken his life -after the disgrace of his son. No one spoke the name of Mrs. Bloodgood, -waiting the moment of confidences _a trois_. In the stupefaction of the -moment, even the personal losses, which had been tremendous, were -momentarily forgotten. Gradually inquiries began to be made as to the -extent of the panic. Then at once a division was apparent. There was -already the party of the shorts, eager and vociferous, staking their -last chance of recouping on a still wider spread of the devastating -drop, which they now as ardently desired as though a thousand homes -would not suffer for every point acquired. - -Beecher separated himself from these enthusiasts of failure, and passed -into the front room, where he was signaled by Gunther, who was in one of -the numerous small groups. He found a chair and joined the party, in -which were Fontaine, Lynch, and Steve Plunkett. The conversation, which -was controversial, continued without interruption. - -"Don't be an ass, Ed," said Lynch, with irritation; "nothing can stop -the market." - -"The Atlantic Trust is as solvent as Gunther & Co.," insisted Fontaine, -with a nervous, emphatic gesture. "Every depositor will be paid in -full." - -"It'll be in the hands of a receiver before the week's over--bet you -five to three." - -"Possibly; but then--" - -"Moreover, what of the public? What's the public going to do when it -hears Majendie's committed suicide? What'll it think? It'll think the -whole blamed institution is rotten to the core--looted!" - -"Sure," said Plunkett, and he added savagely, his glance lost in the -distance: "Damn it, if I'd known the news an hour earlier, I could have -made fifty thousand." - -"Why, look at the situation," continued Bo Lynch, excited by his own -images. "The Clearing-house closed against the Associated Trust and all -its allies; runs on banks all over the country; Slade forced to the -wall, out of it in a couple of days, perhaps--God knows, another -suicide, maybe; two failures up into the hundreds of -millions--everything in the country thrown on the market! Look at the -sales to-day; they'll be doubled to-morrow. Nothing can hold out against -it. The country'll go crazy! I tell you, '93 was nothing to it." - -Gunther rose. - -"What do you think, Bruce?" said Plunkett anxiously. - -"Don't know a thing about it," said Gunther brusquely. "Neither does -Eddie or Bo. If you want to gamble, gamble." - -He nodded to Beecher, and they moved out together. - -"Let's cut out of this den of lunatics," he said. "My machine's here; -supposing we run down to McKenna's and get him off for a quiet chop. -I've already telephoned." - -"He's got some news?" - -"Yes, but I don't know what it is. Jump in." - -"What about Garraboy?" - -"Rumor is, he's in heavy. McKenna's looking that up, too." - -"I say, Bruce, what do you really think about the situation?" said -Beecher, forced to contain his curiosity. "Are we going to the -bow-wows?" - -"If you ask what I _think_," said Gunther meditatively, "I think it's -the devil to pay. Far as I can see, a lot depends on John G. Slade. -There's no doubt there's a crowd after his scalp." - -"Will they get it?" - -"Looks so; but he's got nine lives, they say." - -"Where the deuce are we going?" said Beecher, suddenly aware of the -swift flight through the now deserted regions of the lower city. - -"Down to McKenna's offices." - -"As late as this?" - -"Guess these days keep him pretty busy." - -"Didn't he say anything about his clue?" - -"Said he'd traced the history of the stone." - -They soon came to a stop in one of the blocks on Broadway within a -stone's throw of old Trinity, and, descending, entered a dingy -four-story building pinched in among the skyscrapers. At the second -flight of worm-eaten stairs, Gunther pushed open a smoky glass door and -entered a short antechamber inclosed in sanded glass with sliding -pigeon-holes for observation. Their arrival being expected, they were -immediately shown down a contracted hallway studded with doors, to an -open room, comfortably furnished, with a fire burning in the grate. - -"Join you in a moment, gentlemen," said McKenna, nodding around the door -of the adjoining room. - -Gunther unceremoniously helped himself at the open box of cigars. - -"Ted," he said enthusiastically, "why the deuce do the novelists concoct -their absurdly stalking detectives, who deduce everything at a glance, -with their impossible logical processes? Don't they see the real thing -is so much bigger? It's not the fake individual mind that's wonderful; -it's the system--this system. A great agency like this is simply an -expression of society itself--organized order against unorganized -disorder. It's an unending struggle, and the odds are all on one side. -By George, what impresses me is the completeness with which society has -organized itself--made use of all inventions, telephone, telegraph, the -photograph, the press, everything turned on the criminal to run him -down. For a hundred detectives employed here, there are a thousand -allies, in every trade, in every depot, in every port, along every line -of travel. When you think of the agencies that McKenna can stir up by a -word, then you begin to realize the significance of the detective in the -structure of society." - -McKenna, who had heard the last words, entered, vitally alert and -physically excited by the joy of unusual labor. - -"Now I'm with you," he said, appropriating an easy-chair. "Let's see -where we'll begin. Oh, Mr. Beecher, you wanted certain information -about that broker Garraboy, didn't you?" - -"What have you found out?" said Beecher, with a conscious eagerness that -struck both hearers. - -"It just so happened I had a line on your man from another direction," -said McKenna. "Well, he's hit the market right. What would have -happened if this panic hadn't come just right, is another question--a -rather interesting question. However, Garraboy's known to have been -heavy on the short side, and, from all reports, stands to make a -killing." - -"Then Miss Charters' stocks are all right?" - -"They're all right--yes--now," said McKenna carefully; "but my advice is -to get hold of them--P.D.Q. Mr. Garraboy is somewhat of a gambler. Now, -here's a bit of history about a certain ruby that will interest you," he -continued, drawing out a memorandum. In his manner was a little amused -self-satisfaction, as one who relished the mystification of the -outsiders. "In the first place, your ruby ring is not worth fifteen -thousand." - -"No?" said Beecher in amazement. - -"It's worth considerably more," said the detective, with a grin. "Its -last sale was at the price of thirty-two thousand dollars." - -"What!" said both young men in chorus. - -"Just that." - -"But then, why should Mrs. Kildair value it at fifteen?" exclaimed -Beecher. - -"That's rather an interesting point," said McKenna, "and we'll touch on -that later. The stone is as well known in the trade as John L. Sullivan -to you and me. It was first sold in New Amsterdam in the year 1852 to a -firm of Parisian jewelers. From them it was bought for a well-known, -rather frisky lady called La Panthere by a Count d'Ussac, who ruined -himself. La Panthere was killed later by a South American lover and her -effects sold at auction. The ruby was bought by the firm of Gaspard -Freres, and set in a necklace which was sold to the Princess de -Grandliev. At the fall of the Second Empire, the necklace was broken up -and this particular stone went over to England, where it was set in a -ring and sold to a young dandy, the Earl of Westmorley, who was killed -steeplechasing. A woman named Clara Hauk, an adventuress, had the ring -in her possession, and successfully defeated the efforts of the family -to regain it. She got into bad water in the '80's and sold it to a -South African, who carried it off to the Transvaal with him. It -reappeared in the offices of Gaspard Freres in 1891 on the finger of a -young Austrian woman who sold it for twenty-two thousand dollars and -disappeared without giving her name. An Italian, the Marchese di -Rubino, bought it for a wedding present to his daughter, who kept it -until 1900, when she pledged it to pay the gambling debts of her -husband. It was then brought to this country by the wife of a Western -rancher, who sold it five years later to Sontag & Co. The last sale -known was just two months ago." - -"Two months?" said Beecher, craning forward. - -"The price, as I said, was thirty-two thousand, and the purchaser was a -certain gentleman very much before the public now--John G. Slade." - -This announcement was so entirely unexpected that it left the two young -men staring at each other, absolutely incapable of speech. - -"But then," said Gunther, the first to recover, "the ring was given her -by Slade!" - -"At a cost of thirty-two thousand," said the detective in a quick, -businesslike tone. - -"You are sure?" - -"As positive as any one can be. There are only three other rings--" - -"That's why she wanted to keep it quiet!" exclaimed Beecher, rousing -himself from his stupor. The whole machination of Mrs. Kildair became -comprehensible to him on the instant. "Now I see!" - -"Precisely," said McKenna. "Of course there is a chance that Slade did -not give her the ring; that I'll know tomorrow." - -"How?" - -"Make an inquiry--for a supposed purchaser, of course; find out if the -ring is still at Slade's." - -"It's useless," said Beecher firmly. "I know that McKenna's right. -This explains everything," he continued, turning to the detective. -"That's why she acted so strangely "--he checked himself. "I saw Mrs. -Kildair--took lunch with her--to-day--" - -"Did you find out whom she employed?" said McKenna quietly. - -Beecher opened his lips to answer in the affirmative, and stopped -abruptly. For the first time, he realized that Mrs. Kildair had taken -back the address. He rose nervously, frowning at the stupidity he would -be forced to disclose. - -"By Jove, I am an ass!" he said, dropping his glance; and he related the -scene in which Mrs. Kildair had first given him the address and then -taken it away. - -"It's not important, Mr. Beecher," said the detective pensively, his -mind working behind the recital. "She didn't give you the right -address." - -"How do you know?" said Beecher, turning. - -"Because she recovered the paper as soon as she found out you were -employing me," he answered; but his mind was still out of the room. He -took out a pencil and began tapping his memorandum with quick, nervous -jots. "Her mind worked pretty quick," he said. - -"Why do you want to know her detectives?" asked Gunther. - -"You see, the case is complicated," said McKenna, rousing himself. "I -won't go into her relations with Slade just now, but it's quite evident -to any one they were such that Mrs. Kildair prefers to lose the ring -rather than to have it discovered how it came to her. See?" - -"I see," said Gunther. - -Beecher, silent, was turning over in his mind all the incidents of -Slade's and Mrs. Kildair's conduct, striving to reach some explanation -but the natural one that forced itself on him. - -"That's why," continued McKenna, "I'd like to know, first, if the -detectives are straight--can be depended upon; second, if they were told -to make a search; and, third, if they were told not to find the ring." - -"But why not?" - -"Because, Mr. Gunther, whoever took that ring the second time didn't -take it on impulse or without a plan; whoever took it probably--I don't -say certainly--knew enough of its history to know that Slade gave it to -Mrs. Kildair, and reckoned on the fact that she would not dare to make -it public. See?" - -The corners of his eyes contracted suddenly, as though through the -movement of propelling forward the quick, decisive glance. - -"Then you think," said Beecher slowly, "that she is--" - -"Look here, Mr. Beecher," said the detective quickly, "there is one -thing no human being can ever say offhand; what says the Bible--the way -of a man with a maid--well, make that woman in general. You don't know, -and I don't know, what the situation is right there, and we may never -know. All the same, we're now started on solid ground; it may lead to -something, and it may not, but what I want to know before we get much -further is who and how many there that night knew or guessed Slade gave -her the ring." - -"Of course," said Gunther. "But how--" - -"By patience and by running down every alley till we find it is an -alley," said McKenna. "That's one thing to keep in mind, and let's put -it this way. Was there any one there that night who had to have money -quick, and who knew that the fact of Slade's giving the ring would tie -Mrs. Kildair's hands? Now, if that condition existed, we're on a strong -motive." - -"You don't consider that the only lead," said Beecher, convinced as he -was of the probability of Mr. Majendie's participation. - -"Lord, no. Here's one other point to work on, Mr. Beecher. What's the -situation today between Slade and Mrs. Kildair? Has there been any -quarrel--say within the last ten days?" - -"I don't think so; and yet--" Beecher stopped, remembering Mrs. -Kildair's curious request for him to outstay the promoter. "What if -there was?" - -"Slade's a remarkable character," said McKenna, smiling. "Just how -remarkable a few people will learn shortly. If he had quarreled or -she's been trying to trick him--just like him to take the ring the -second time." - -"By George!" said Gunther. "Why not?" - -"That's only something to be kept in the background," said McKenna, -rising. - -He turned to Beecher, considering him profoundly. - -"Sorry you told Mrs. Kildair I was on the case," he said. - -Beecher blushed at the memory of the way in which he had been brought to -disclose the information, and the confusion all at once revealed to the -detective the probable means she had taken. - -At this moment the door opened and a voice called him. - -"Telephone, sir--personal." - -When the detective had left, Beecher and Gunther looked at each other in -amazement in which a curious doubt was beginning to form. - -"Why the deuce should Slade give her the ring, Ted?" said Gunther -abruptly. - -"I don't know," Beecher answered, perplexed. "I know what you -think--that's natural; but I don't believe it. She's deeper than -that--that is, I think so." - -But he ended perplexed, contracting his eyebrows, nervously jerking at a -button on his coat. - -McKenna reentered, and on his face was a smile of anticipation and -mischief. - -"Some one called me up just then," he said shortly; "some one I've been -expecting to call me up. Guess who?" - -"Slade," said Gunther, startled. - -"Mrs. Kildair," said Beecher. - -"Mrs. Kildair is right," said McKenna. "I'm going up to see her -tonight." And he added meditatively, "It ought to be quite an -interesting little chat." - - - - - *CHAPTER XIV* - - -At eight o'clock promptly McKenna presented himself at the door of Mrs. -Kildair's apartment. Kiki, with his velvet glide, ushered him into the -studio. The electric chandeliers were dull; only the great standing -lamp was lit, throwing a foggy luster about the room, massing enormous -dark silhouettes and spaces in the corners. - -"Is it a precaution?" he thought grimly, considering this serviceable -obscurity. - -He felt a sudden heightened sense of curiosity and defiance, a feeling -that had been growing within him ever since the discovery of Slade's -connection with the ring, and the brief, disjointed details of Beecher's -interview. Every profession develops, back of its elaborate technique, -a sudden quality of instinct which exists as the almost mechanical and -unguided operation of the disciplined mind. McKenna had no sooner -entered the room than he perceived the woman with a quick defensive "on -guard" of all his faculties. - -He stopped in the center of the room, like a pointer flushing his game, -and in the second's rapid inhalation he completely changed his scheme of -attack. He felt at once that he had to do not alone with--what he -expected--a woman of unusual physical attraction, clever, with the -defensive intuition of one who has evaded the scrutiny of society; but -with a woman of mental grasp and decision. He felt it everywhere: in -the remarkable adjustment of the square room which broke it up into half -a dozen separate groups, distinctive and sure as though so many separate -selves; in the harmony of color and proportion, which he felt without -analysis; in the seduction of the Recamier couch with its eastern -drapery of blue and gold; in the friendly comfort of the grouped chairs -by the baronial fireplace; in the correct intimacy of the reading-table -at one end and the formality of the grouped chairs by the piano. All -these notes were to him notes of the hand that had arranged them, as he -felt in the struggling muscles of the bared marble torsos, wrestling on -the mantel, and the lithe, virile body of the discus-thrower on the -table, the virility and aggressiveness of the woman. This perception -awoke his defiance as though one personality had been substituted for -another. - -"What does she want with me?" he thought. "Is she daring enough to tell -me all, or is she worried at what I may know?" - -While he was still in the midst of his reflections, Mrs. Kildair -entered. She was in street costume: a tailor-made dress of dark blue, -edged with black braid, the stiffness and sobriety relieved by a full -fichu at her throat. The red flight of a feather crossed the -Gainsborough hat. - -"How do you do?" she said, nodding to him, a crisp, businesslike -abruptness in her voice. "A little more light would be better. Thanks. -The button is by the door." - -Prepared as he had been to be surprised, he had not expected this -businesslike manifestation. He went to the wall, following her -directions, and threw on the lights. - -"Only the side lights," she said. "That's it. Shall we sit here?" - -She took her position by the reading-table in a great high-backed -upholstered arm-chair. Obeying her gesture, he drew up his chair to a -position opposite. In the varied experiences of thirty years, he had -come into contact with women of all walks of life. Without the -psychological analysis of subtleties of the lawyer and the novelist, he -had an unerring instinct for the crux of character. "Is she good or is -she bad?" was the question that, in ninety cases out of a hundred, he -put to himself at the turning-point of his campaigns. For the first -time, despite his previous prejudice, he was in doubt for an answer, but -he recognized in her at once the stamp of that superior brood which -raises some men to fame and fortune where others by one trait of -conscience or weakness end in a disgraceful failure. - -"I have wanted to meet you for a long time, Mr. McKenna," she said -directly, but without the accompanying smile of feminine flattery. "Mr. -Slade has told me much about you." - -"Slade?" he said, with a quick simulation of surprise, while admiring -the abruptness, amazing in a woman, with which she had launched her -attack. - -"You realize, of course, Mr. McKenna," she continued quietly, without -giving him time to deny her first implication, "that Mr. Beecher, in -engaging you, has, quite without his knowledge, brought on a situation -that is very embarrassing to me." - -"Good!" thought the detective. "She has made up her mind to tell the -whole story." Aloud he said, without change of expression: "In what -way, Mrs. Kildair?" - -"A situation exists which makes it extremely difficult for me to recover -my ring without disclosing to the public matters in my own private life -that at present are liable to great misconstruction." - -She spoke professionally, without variation in her voice, as a doctor -speaking with dispassionate directness. McKenna did not answer, -resolving by his silence to force her to talk. - -"A week," she continued without pause, though her eyes remained without -wavering on his, "--ten days at the most--may completely change this -position. I won't conceal from you that I am extremely sorry that you -have been brought into the case." McKenna could not control an -expression of surprise. "But, now that you are in it, I shall be forced -to give you a confidence against my inclination." - -"But--" began the detective. - -"One moment," she said, interrupting him. "Before I give you this -confidence I wish to ask one question." - -"Mrs. Kildair, I must remind you," said McKenna warily, "that I am -engaged in the interests of Mr. Beecher, and can do nothing without his -permission." - -"Are you representing any one besides Mr. Beecher?" she said, ignoring -his objection. - -"What do you mean?" he said carefully, to gain time. - -"Are you, in this particular case, representing Mr. Slade?" she said -directly. - -"I have never said that I was employed by him, Mrs. Kildair," he said -slowly, comprehending now the full purpose of her opening question. - -"Mr. Slade has told me himself of your work in connection with the Gray -Fox Mines, the Farmers' and Travelers' Bank, and the more personal -affair of your recovery of his letters from a Miss Minna Weston. You -see, I am informed." - -"I have worked for Mr. Slade," said McKenna. - -"And are you doing so now?" she asked sharply. - -"I never refer to my clients, Mrs. Kildair," he said stiffly. - -"I desire to put this matter entirely in your hands--without reserve," -she said quickly. "All I ask from you is a promise that, -notwithstanding your relations with him past or present, nothing I say -to you shall be repeated to Mr. Slade, or to any one else." - -"Mrs. Kildair," said McKenna, every faculty joyfully grateful for the -contest of wits he felt impending, "I must remind you that my employer -is Mr. Beecher, and that I can promise nothing that will keep him from -doing anything he desires. - -"Mr. Beecher is acting for me," she said calmly. "Very well; your -position is correct. I will put it this way. Subject to Mr. Beecher's -approval, will you give me your word that you will repeat nothing of -what I may tell you?" - -"If Mr. Beecher is willing, I am," said McKenna obstinately. "That's my -word." - -"Now I can speak to you freely," said Mrs. Kildair. - -"I have not promised yet," broke in McKenna. - -"I will take the risk," she said, brushing aside the obstacle with an -impatient gesture. - -"I remain entirely free to communicate anything to Mr. Beecher," -interposed the detective instantly. - -"You do not understand," she said, without irritation. "Mr. Beecher, in -retaining you, did so to assist me, and only after he had secured my -permission. Now I desire, in order to arrive at quicker results and to -be free to give you my full confidence, to transfer that authority -direct to me. In other words, Mr. McKenna, I wish to retain you myself -and for myself only." - -"That, Mrs. Kildair, depends entirely on Mr. Beecher," repeated the -detective. - -"But if he acquiesces, will you act in my interests only?" - -McKenna was about to interpose another evasion, when he reflected that -he would have time to acquaint Beecher with what had happened and to -advise him either to accept or to refuse. - -"Very well," he replied cautiously, feeling instinctively that some trap -was being prepared without yet perceiving what it could be. "I will -leave it that way." - -"Good," she said, with a little nod of her head. "Now, what have you -done?" - -"I can not answer that, Mrs. Kildair," he said, smiling; "not under my -present arrangement." - -"You have, of course, discovered that the ring belongs to Mr. Slade?" - -Quite unconsciously, she had adopted his own tactics, the tactics of the -inquisitor, who hurls the vital question at the suspect, and then seeks -the answer in the almost imperceptible response in the eyes. - -"Yes, I know that," said McKenna, who felt that the surprise he had -experienced at having the tables thus turned on him had revealed the -truth to the questioner. "That is, I know the ring did belong to Mr. -Slade." - -"Have you informed Mr. Beecher of the fact?" - -"It has just come to my knowledge," said McKenna; "I shall, naturally, -inform him." - -Mrs. Kildair looked at him a moment with an appearance of reflection. - -"The question was quite unnecessary," she said. "Of course, you have -told him, and you have every right to deny it." Then she continued with -more decision: "This is exactly my danger--you see, I won't mince words. -It is a situation which constantly occurs, and which is inexplicable -except by one construction in the eyes of society. Now--" - -"I warn you," again objected the detective. - -"I do not propose to explain my relations with Mr. Slade," continued -Mrs. Kildair coldly. "They are such that a great deal depends on the -events of the next few days. At present it is enough that I can not -explain my possession of the ring in any way that can satisfy -publicity." - -"Mr. Slade did not give you the ring?" said McKenna, in slow -progression. - -She carefully considered the question. - -"Mr. Slade sent me the ring with an offer of marriage," said Mrs. -Kildair evenly, with an appearance of great frankness. "The ring -arrived on the night of the party, and I committed the imprudence of -wearing it. If its source now becomes known, I must appear before the -world either as Mr. Slade's mistress or as his fiancee; and at present I -have not made up my mind whether I shall marry him." - -The directness of this avowal left McKenna immersed in thought. He -looked at her, unaware of the fixity of his stare; and, inclined as -always to skepticism, he asked himself if back of all the outer gilt of -this proud, determined woman, there were not a stalking shadow of -insistent poverty, whether the game she was playing with Slade were not -a greater drama than that in which he was engaged; whether, in fact, it -lay not on a turn of the balance whether the world should know her as -the wife or that very alternative which she had dreaded in the exposure -of the ownership of the ring? - -"What does she really want of Slade?" he said to himself, staring so -profoundly beyond the set gaze of the woman that, for the first time, -she moved with a little annoyance. - -"Mr. McKenna!" she said sharply. - -"I beg your pardon," he said, stiffening abruptly. - -"You perceive now the delicacy of my position," she said; "and why I -desire to have you completely in my interests." - -"I do," he answered, but still clinging to the saving rope of defiance. -"I only regret that you told me this before Mr. Beecher's--" - -"Now ask me any questions you wish," she said, interrupting him -impatiently. - -"I don't feel at liberty to do so, Mrs. Kildair," he said warily, -convinced that her whole motive was to find out the extent of his -knowledge. "I prefer to know first where I stand." - -"Very well," she said. "Let us talk of other things, then." Her manner -changed to one of a lighter, inconsequential curiosity. "There is one -point in the frightful happenings of the day I should like to know." - -"What, madam?" said McKenna, whose instinct warned him to adopt a tone -of artless attention. - -"Majendie was followed by detectives, was he not?" - -"That is the report." - -"And he was on the point of leaving when he perceived that he would be -followed?" - -"That is what I have been told." - -"And, believing that he was about to be arrested, he returned to the -house and shot himself." - -"That's the story." - -"As a matter of fact, wasn't he mistaken?" - -"In what way?" said McKenna, steeling himself under an appearance of -surprise. - -"Were not the detectives your own men--placed by you at Mr. Slade's -orders to acquaint him with every move of Mr. Majendie?" persisted Mrs. -Kildair. - -"That would make a good Sunday thriller," said McKenna, laughing -boisterously. - -"That is my guess," she said, drawing back as though satisfied. "I am -certain that Majendie committed suicide through the blunder of believing -he was threatened with arrest." - -"My dear Mrs. Kildair," said the detective, rising, "I see that what you -want to know is, am I for or against Mr. Slade. If I'm not in his -employ you think I'm retained by his enemies. Well, I don't intend to -give you any information." - -She made no answer, but, rising in turn, glanced at the clock. - -"Since you are here," she said carelessly, "you may as well look over -the ground." And, without waiting, she went to the door. "This is my -bedroom. The ring was placed here." - -He had hardly made his quick professional scrutiny when there came a -ring at the door, and at a sign from Mrs. Kildair they returned to the -studio. - -"What now?" thought McKenna, who remembered her glance at the clock. -"Slade or who?" - -To his surprise, it was Beecher who entered. Mrs. Kildair went directly -to him, a smile of confidence and welcome on her face, holding out an -eager hand, and by the elation of her movements, the detective -comprehended how she had played him. - -"Teddy," she said directly, "I have a favor to ask you, and I trust you -so completely that I know I need not explain it further. Mr. McKenna -and I have had a very complete understanding. I wish him to represent -me entirely. I do not mean that you should not continue to work on the -case," she added quickly, as she felt instinctively the gesture of -warning McKenna made behind her back. "All I wish you to tell him is -that anything I may have told him or will tell him shall be considered -confidential until the time I am able to tell you myself. I must throw -myself on your chivalry and protection as the fine gentleman I have seen -you to be," she added, looking at him with a moistening of the eyes in -which there was respect and a more tender emotion. - -McKenna, though perceiving how completely she had prepared the isolation -of the confidence he had just heard, did not again signal his objection, -perhaps divining the futility of opposing such an appeal. - -Beecher bowed in assent. - -"Certainly, Rita," he said, with a pride that brought a smile of -amusement to McKenna's lips. "I wish McKenna to do everything he can for -you and in exactly the way you wish." - -"Thank you," she said, with a little pressure of his hand. Then -turning, she added: "This I will say to you both. I have my reasons for -believing that the ring will be returned within ten days; if it isn't -then I shall have more to disclose." - -"Returned?" said Beecher, struck by the similarity of her prophecy and -that of Nan Charters. - -"Exactly. Until then, I believe all that is necessary is to wait for -developments." She turned toward the detective, who waited like a -statue. "Mr. McKenna, I know you are a busy man. I won't keep you. Mr. -Beecher has come to assist me on a very painful errand, one on which I -would trust no other man that I know in New York." She held out her -hand. "I do not often make mistakes in men, or I should not have told -you what I did. Good-night; I shall call you soon." - -McKenna bowed, experiencing, despite his resentment at her mastery of -the evening, a feeling of respect and deference. - -"Beecher is a kitten in her hands," he said to himself as he entered the -street. "She played me as she wanted to. One thing's certain. She -wants to employ me to keep me from doing anything. Evidently her own -game is more important than the ring--or is there blackmail mixed up in -this? I have it! Mrs. Kildair knows the thief, but is afraid to act -until--until certain things straighten out between her and Mr. John G. -Slade." - - -"And now, Teddy," said Mrs. Kildair, as soon as the door had closed -behind the detective, "you know what I want of you. I have arranged -everything. My carriage is waiting." - -Half an hour later, Mrs. Bloodgood joined them, heavily veiled. They -drove to the house next to that of Majendie, and, at a word from Mrs. -Kildair, Beecher remained below on guard in the flickering obscurity of -the street. The two women went hurriedly up the steps of Majendie's -home, where the door was opened for them by some one who had been -awaiting their arrival. - -For a full half-hour Beecher, prey to a profound melancholy, continued -his aimless, mechanical pacing, his head raised, glancing past the -jagged black silhouettes of the house-tops at the reddened clouds of the -unreal night, which brought him not a clear vision of immense and -purifying spaces but the heavy reflection of the illuminated, surging -streets. - -"What will my life be?" he thought, conjuring up the future. "Calm and -commonplace? Or shall I ever be linked to some such tragedy--torn to -pieces, all in a day--wrecked!" - -The door opened and two shadows passed down the steps. He returned -hastily, saw them into the carriage, and stood with uncovered head, a -lump in his throat, as they drove on. Then he went directly to his -rooms, and, exhausted by the emotions of the day, fell heavily into a -sleep that was almost a stupor. - - - - - *CHAPTER XV* - - -The next morning he was awakened by Gunther's abrupt hand. - -"Up, up, you sluggard!" - -He jumped out hastily and found it was almost half-past eight. - -"Nice time to sleep," said Gunther sarcastically. "Have you forgotten a -little visit we're to make to that sweet person, Mr. Garraboy? You've -got just twenty-two minutes to beautify yourself and fill the inner -being." - -"If we're to see your charming friend, Mr. Garraboy," said Gunther half -an hour later, as they were speeding for the congested, stirring, lower -city, "we've got to nip our man before the opening of the Stock -Exchange. Now let's hear what happened at Mrs. Kildair's last night." - -The events in which Mrs. Bloodgood was concerned were sealed in -confidence; but Beecher felt at liberty to recount to his friend the -bare details of McKenna's visit as he had known them. - -"What the deuce is behind it all?" said Gunther, puzzled. "I got -McKenna on the wire and that's all he would tell me. What's the reason -she wants to bottle up everything? What's her mix-up with Slade? -Depend upon it, Ted, that woman knows more than we do--or why should she -expect the ring to be returned? She's got a reason for that." - -"If it's returned," said Beecher, "it's Mrs. Bloodgood who took it." - -"Never! No woman ever got that ring out of the apartment--not alone; -not a Mrs. Bloodgood, or a Nan Charters, or a Mrs. Cheever, or--" -Suddenly he reflected. "Ted, there's one person I'd like to meet." - -"Miss Lille?" - -"Yes. Supposing we look her up a little more." - -"I've thought quite a lot about her," said Beecher musingly; and, -remembering all at once her self-possession on the night of the theft, -he added: "There's nothing weak about her certainly; still, I can't see -the motive." - -They had left behind them the free, unbounded sky, boring their way -through the towering sides of the sky-scraping district, where buildings -rose in regular, comb-like structures, with their thousands of human -cells tenanted by human bees. Entering a street where the obstructed -sun never shone, they were swept on by the feverish rush of -fellow-beings and shot up sixteen stories to their destination. The -office-boy in the antechamber took their cards with the condescension -which only an office-boy between the ages of twelve and sixteen can -feel, and disappeared within. - -"The old screw'll keep us waiting half an hour, said Gunther, who -disliked all delays. - -"Bet he's trying to figure out what we're here for?" said Beecher, who -admitted to himself a delicious satisfaction at the prospective -humiliation of the man he cordially disliked. - -The next moment Garraboy himself appeared at the rail, dapper, dried up, -and severe. - -"How do you do?" he said sharply, but without inviting them in. "What -can I do for you? It's a very busy day for me." - -"I assure you I don't intend to take any more time than I am compelled -to," said Beecher stiffly, with an accent that gave another meaning to -the phrase. He plunged his hand into his pocket. "I have an order for -you." - -"Oh, yes, I remember now," said Garraboy, with a malicious drawing up of -his lips. "You can save yourself the trouble." - -"What do you mean?" asked Beecher, greatly surprised. - -"You have an order on me to deliver certain stocks I hold for Miss -Charters?" - -"I have." - -"Well, Miss Charters has changed her mind," said Garraboy, letting his -glance rest on Beecher with the vacant, impudent stare of which he was -master. - -"You have seen Miss Charters?" said Beecher, growing very angry. - -"I have; and when I explained to her that she had been unduly excited by -some one who evidently is not aware that there are laws in civilized -countries adequate to deal with those who attack the reputations or -interests--" - -"Sir!" exclaimed Beecher, moving so quickly toward the rail that -Garraboy hastily retreated. - -"When Miss Charters learned that, and likewise that she had parted with -stocks worth considerably over twenty thousand dollars, she changed her -mind very quickly." - -"Mr. Garraboy," said Gunther abruptly, "all this is not to the point. -We have a formal order on you for certain stocks. Ted, present it." - -"True, I forgot," said Garraboy, and produced from his coat a letter, -which he looked over with nonchalant delay and finally handed to -Beecher. "I presume you are acting from altruistic motives and are not -standing on technicalities. Here is a little note which Miss Charters -requested me to give you." - -"That has nothing to do with it," said Gunther at once, for the -personality of the broker aroused the pugnacious side of him. "Your -transaction has been closed. Get your stocks." - -Beecher, frowning, unable to conceal the vexation that this unexpected -check brought him, opened the letter. The address by its formality -completed his irritation: - - -DEAR MR. BEECHER: - -Mr. Garraboy has called and explained everything satisfactorily. I am -afraid I was needlessly alarmed last night and did him an injustice. As -he has shown me how advantageous it will be for me to transfer my -holdings to other stocks, now far below their market value, I have -decided not to lose the opportunity. Thank you just the same for your -interest in this matter. I shall be in at five this afternoon and will -explain to you more fully. - -Cordially yours, - NAN CHARTERS. - - -The two watched him read to the end, fold the letter carefully, and put -it in his pocket. - -"Well?" said Garraboy. - -"Insist on the delivery, Ted," said Gunther militantly. "If Miss -Charters wants to return them again, that's her affair. The stocks are -yours." - -He looked at his friend with a glance of warning which sought to convey -to him the distrust he could not openly phrase. - -"If Mr. Beecher wishes to stand on technicalities," said Garraboy, in -his even, oily voice, "he can do so. He can make a very nice profit. -Which is it? I repeat, I can not give you much time." - -"Miss Charters' letter is sufficient," said Beecher suddenly. -"Good-day." - -The feeling of mortification and chagrin which her action had brought on -him dominated all other feelings. He went out in a rage, tearing the -letter into minute fragments. Without a word they reached the street -and entered the automobile. - -"Last time I ever try to help a woman!" he said, between his teeth. - -"What the deuce did you play into his game for?" said Gunther. "He's -bamboozled her. I believe the fellow is an out-and-out crook--he's got -a rotten bad eye. Why the deuce didn't you get the stocks?" - -"She can take her own risks," said Beecher furiously. "It's her own -affair if she's going to blow hot and cold. By Jove, Bruce, I never met -any one who could make me so mad clear through and through." - -He stopped, biting his lips, and Gunther with a shy glance stored away -for future comment the impression he received. - -"What's the use of taking them seriously?" he said, with a shrug of the -shoulders. "Amuse yourself, but don't let them absorb you. Suppose we -take a turn at the Curb and see what's doing." - -With the opening of the market, all the giant sides of Wall Street -seemed suddenly animated with the fury of a disturbed ant-hill. Every -one was rushing in and out, carrying with them the pollution of disaster -and alarm. Eddie Fontaine and Steve Plunkett hurried past them with -quick nods. At the curb market the brokers were shrieking and flinging -their frantic signals in the air. They entered the Stock Exchange, -nodding to the doorkeeper, who knew Gunther, and reached the balcony, -their ears suddenly smitten with the confused uproar from below. They -stood there a few minutes, marveling at that Inferno of speculation and -embattled greed flung before them in all the nakedness of man's terror; -and then left, oppressed by the too frank exhibition of their mortal -counterparts. - -"What's doing?" asked Gunther as they returned. - -The doorkeeper, with a shrug of his shoulders, flung down his thumb--the -gesture of the Roman circus. - -"You like that?" said Beecher, when once more they were in the -automobile and the din and oppression of cell-like monstrosities had -receded. - -"I do," Gunther replied, locking and unlocking his broad hands. - -"Horrible!" - -"That's only one side of it--speculation," said Gunther warmly; "but -even that is impressive. Look beyond those little mobs we saw, get the -feeling of the whole country, the vast nation, rising in anger--flinging -over hundreds of thousands of holdings--sweeping down the little -gamblers with the tremendous waves of its alarm. Beyond that the whole -vibrating industry of the nation is here, within a quarter of a -mile--the great projects of development, the wars of millions, the -future of immense territories to the West and the South. There's a big -side to it--a real side--that gets me. I've a mind to walk down now and -face the old governor and tell him I'm ready." - -"Why don't you?" said Beecher. He himself had felt the restlessness of -indecision and enforced idleness. He gave a laugh. "You know, Bruce, -I'm beginning to feel the same way. Either I've got to get into the -current somewhere, or I'm going to pack off for Africa some fine day." - -"By the way, Tilton's up at the club. He's here for a few days, getting -ready for a lion hunt or something." - -"Tilton?" exclaimed Beecher joyfully. "By Jove, I must get hold of him. -I'd go in a minute!" - -He believed what he said. The whirl of emotions into which he had -lately been plunged--revealing to him as it had all the mercenary, -clutching side of the city--had left him disturbed, rebellious, longing -to be away from the mass of men in general, and of women in particular, -the brilliant, keen, and calculating women of the city with whom he had -been thrown. Impatient and disillusionized, without realizing the true -cause, he repeated: - -"By Jove, I'd go in a minute!" - -In the afternoon he went to call on Miss Charters. After having declared -twenty times that he would not go near her, he suddenly remembered, at -the end of a wearied discussion between his conscience and his -inclination, that his check for twenty thousand dollars was to be -reclaimed and, at once seizing such a satisfactory reason, he abandoned -the attitude of embattled dignity which he had logically built up. - -"That's true; I must get the check," he said, and he set out. - -But as he neared his destination and began to rehearse all the grave -causes for offense that he held against her, he was surprised at the -slender stock of ammunition he held. - -"Why, it was perfectly natural," he thought, struck by the idea--having -considered her reasons for the first time. "If Garraboy called and -explained everything to her satisfaction, why shouldn't she change her -mind? Besides, there is nothing against Garraboy--nothing definite. -After all, I may have been unjust to him." - -Very sheepish, he felt his irritation slipping away as he yielded to the -eager desire of once more entering her presence. - -"What the deuce was I so wild about?" he asked himself, amazed, as he -entered the elevator. - -But all at once he remembered that she had allowed him to receive the -news at the hands of a person intensely disagreeable to him. - -"Why didn't she telephone me? That's the whole point." - -And, all his irritation restored by this one outstanding fact, he -entered the apartment with the dignity of a justly offended person. - -She was seated by the fire in an easy-chair, and she did not rise as he -entered. She was bending eagerly forward, an open manuscript in her -hand, and, without turning, she made a little sign to him to be seated -until she should have finished. - -"Wonderful!" she cried at last, dropping the play in her lap. "It is -wonderful!" she repeated, her whole body vibrating with the enthusiasm -of her mood. "Wonderful--astonishing--what a scene!" And, tapping the -manuscript with a gesture of decision, she exclaimed: "I will play that -part--it will be an enormous sensation!" - -Her mind still obsessed by the thought of the newly discovered -masterpiece, she turned toward Beecher, who was seated like a ramrod on -the edge of his chair. - -"A marvelous play! Really, that Mr. Hargrave is a coming man." -Forgetting her previous estimate, she rushed on: "Isn't it strange--I -always knew he would do it, from the very first! What is extraordinary -is the subtlety of it--how he twines two or three emotions together in -the same scene. What a glorious chance for an actress! I must telephone -the office." - -As she rose, a slip of paper which she had been using as a marker -fluttered to the floor. She picked it up, recognized it, and handed it -to him. - -"Oh, yes, here's your check!" she said. "I put it there so as not to -forget it. Thanks very much. I'll explain in a minute. I must -telephone Stigler; I'm all excited!" - -Beecher, more annoyed by this revelation of her professional life than -by the rub to his vanity, took the check and pocketed it--not having -pronounced a word since his arrival. - -She considered him carefully from the corner of her eye as she took up -the telephone; but her personal emotion was too buoyant for trivial -interruptions. - -Stigler, her manager, was out, and she put down the receiver with a jar -of impatience. She looked at Beecher again, and, perceiving that there -was an explanation due, sought at once to shift the responsibility. - -"Do you know, really, you were ridiculously alarmed last night," she -said, a spirit of opposition in her voice. "I don't know what made you -so panicky." - -"Of course," he said sarcastically, "I realize now that I should never -have stirred you up, when everything was so calm. It's strange that I -did not explain to you the natural reasons for Mr. Garraboy's not -calling you up--but then, I usually lose my head at such times." - -"You are angry!" she said. - -"What a strange idea! On the contrary, it was a charming experience to -enter Mr. Garraboy's office and be so delightfully reassured that -everything was so prosperous with him." - -She did not like irony, or know how to combat it, so she frowned and -said: - -"I telephoned you." - -"Why should you do that? You might have deprived me of the pleasure of -meeting your charming friend, Mr. Garraboy." - -"I telephoned. You were not in." - -"When?" - -"Last night. Four times." - -He was mollified by this, but tried not to show it. - -"And this morning?" - -"But I never get up before ten," she cried, aghast. - -"Your explanations are crushingly convincing," he said, with a bow and a -smile. - -She watched him with an uneasy look, totally unconscious of any sense of -obligation, accustomed as she was to have her requests for service -regarded as favors. The reaction from their last interview had left her -in a coldly antagonistic state, determined to pluck in the bud this -progress toward intimacy which had so threatened her scheme of life. -Now, seeing him collected and ironical, she was instinctively alarmed at -the distance which he, not she, had placed between them. - -"My dear Teddy," she began, in a more confidential tone. - -"Teddy?" he said, smiling. - -He was perfectly good-natured, and as she felt that he was not -irritated, but amusing himself at her tricks which he had divined, she -was uneasy under this ironical examination. She felt that he had -escaped her; and, disturbed by this thought, she looked at him, seeing -all at once his quality. As he had made not the slightest reference to -the very apparent obligation which he had been willing to undergo for -her, she felt his social superiority and his reticence of good breeding. -Besides, other women--brilliant women--had been attracted by him: Mrs. -Craig Fontaine, Mrs. Kildair, and, above all, Emma Fornez. But another -mood had possession of her, the mood of the artist transformed by the -joy of personal sensation. She wished to keep him, but at the moment -she was irritated that such a little thing should come to interfere with -the joy of the imagined future triumph. - -"Don't be horrid, Teddy," she said impatiently, and, wishing to appease -him quickly, that she might talk to him of the play, she continued: "The -fact is, Mr. Garraboy has done everything he could for me. He sold my -stocks a week ago, foreseeing this panic, and saved me several thousand -dollars. He offered to give me his check for twenty-two thousand five -hundred dollars, or to reinvest it for me when the time came in the -enormous bargains that can be picked up now. What was I to do?" - -"You're quite right, and I made a great mistake to mislead you so," he -answered, with great seriousness. - -"It wasn't your fault," she said abruptly. - -"Wasn't it?" he said, opening his eyes with a show of surprise. - -She comprehended that she would have to surrender, and, changing her -tone to one of gentleness, she said: - -"It was a great thing for you to do what you did, Teddy--I shall never -forget it." - -"Nonsense," he said, persisting in misunderstanding her. "I often get -up early--that was nothing at all." - -"You are not at all the way you were last time," she said reproachfully, -forgetting that that was just what she wished to avoid. - -But at this moment the telephone rang. Stigler, her manager, was -calling. Immediately she forgot their misunderstanding, carried away by -the enthusiasm of the moment. Beecher, with a clear vision, followed -her, noticing in her voice, as she sought to cajole the manager, the -same caressing pleading which she had employed a moment before with him. - -"Now I really see her," he thought, with a liberation of his spirit. -"Emma was entirely wrong. She's not a woman--she always an actress." - -"I'll send you the play right away," she was saying. "Mr. Hargrave is -coming. I'll have him take it to the hotel. But you must read it -tonight. Promise! Oh, yes, lots of comedy--delicious! Heart interest -and big scenes--yes, sensational. Just the part for Fannestock. I must -have him for the part! You'll see him in every line! Now, Mr. Stigler, -please read it tonight!" - -"Ah, there's Fannestock too," said Beecher grimly to himself. - -She rose from telephoning, joyous and excited. - -"Oh, if Stigler will only see it! It's a great part--a great part! -There's a wonderful scene at the close of the third act, between the two -women and the father, that will bring down the house." - -Miss Tilbury came in to announce that Mr. Hargrave was calling. An -expression of delight lit up the features of the actress. But all at -once she turned anxiously to Beecher, who had risen stiffly. - -"By Jove, I've overstayed my time," he said readily, glancing at the -clock. - -She was grateful, and yet dissatisfied that he had suggested what she -wished, and, recalling his new spirit of independence, she said -anxiously, with a compensating smile: - -"Teddy, call me up in the morning--this is so important." - -In the hallway he stepped aside while Hargrave, a frail, oldish-young -man, entered, with his famished, doubting glance. - -"Oh, it is wonderful--wonderful!" cried the actress, seizing both his -hands. "I am still thrilled. Wonderful---wonderful!" - -"You liked it?" said Hargrave timidly. At her words, he saw heaven open -before his eyes in a confused vision of frantic audiences, applauding -critics, checks for thousands for royalty, all confused by rolling -automobiles, magnificent bouquets and languishing feminine eyes. - -"Like it!" continued Nan Charters, retaining hold of one hand to draw -him into the salon. "It is marvelous! How could you know all this so -young!" - -Beecher, in the excitement, quietly made his escape. In the elevator, -to the surprise of the wondering bell-boy, he was seized with a mad -laughter, which continued to convulse him as he rolled into the street. - -"Heaven be praised!" he exclaimed. "Cured--cured, by Jove! I wouldn't -have missed it for worlds!" - -On turning the corner of his club, he ran into Becker, a club -acquaintance whom he tolerantly disliked. - -"Becker, old boy," he said, seizing his arm and flourishing his cane in -the direction of the club, "what can I buy you? Come on--_en avant_!" - -"What the deuce has got in you?" said that correct youth. - -"Joy, laughter, everything! I'm happy as a Croton water-bug on a hot -marble slab!" - -At the bar, he gathered every one in sight, slapping them on their -shoulders. His comrades looked at him with envy and awe, believing that -he had profited by a tip to make a killing in the market. Their own -enjoyment was little enough. The market, outdoing the day before, had -plunged like a wild steer into the maelstrom of panic. A billion -dollars had receded, scattered, evaporated in the mad day. The disaster -had reached the whole country; every bank was threatened. The United -States Treasury had been implored to come to the assistance of the -country. Gunther, Fontaine, Marx, Haggerty, were in hourly conference; -while before the swelling hurricane of fright, every paper was imploring -its readers to stand firm. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVI* - - -The next day Beecher did not consider for a moment telephoning to Nan -Charters, despite her last request. He felt that it was a chapter -closed in his life--one of those innumerable false paths down which one -plunges, only the quicker to return. His own serenity did not even -surprise him. He went off for the morning to play rackets with Bruce -Gunther, and lunched at the club with Tilton, who urged him to join his -hunt, an invitation which he discussed with enthusiasm. - -The news from the stock market was the same--ten point losses in the -early trading. Banks all over the country had suspended payments for a -week in order to weather the storm. The panic had ceased to be one of -speculative concern only. Every one was anxiously asking if a permanent -blow had not been dealt to the industries of the country. Many freely -prophesied that, if the downward rush were not checked within three -days, it would take the country ten years to restore its shattered -prosperity. There was a rumor that the big men of the Street had made up -a fund, reaching to many millions, which would be brought on the morrow -to the support of the market. The run on the Associated Trust still -continued, checked though it was by delay and technicalities. Yet the -fall of Slade was hourly predicted. - -Beecher lingered after luncheon, played a hundred points at billiards -and won, an hour's bridge and won again. Then he went off in high -spirits to call on Emma Fornez, an appointment arranged over the -telephone. - -"So, you bad boy, you and your little Charters have quarreled," said the -prima donna, greeting him with an accusing smile, though in her voice -was the pitch of the nervous excitement which her coming debut that -night had communicated. - -"Not in the least," he said, a little surprised at the insinuation. - -"Ta-ta-ta! Enough of your stuff and nonsense," she said, with a shrug -of her shoulders. "You are too big a simpleton--a little woman like -that will always get the best of you." - -"But there is no quarrel, and I am not in the least interested." - -"Oh, _avec ca_--keep away--better keep away! You will burn your fingers. -Just the kind of a little doll that is dangerous. Women like that are -like half colors between one thing and the other--very dangerous! A -young girl--_jeune fille_--would bore you now, and an old campaigner -like Emma Fornez would amuse you; but a little thing like that is too -puzzling for you. I see just how it is," she continued, placing her -hands on her hips and bobbing her head energetically, while Beecher, -very much pleased to be so lectured, listened with a mocking look. -"Yes, yes, I know very well! She gets you--how do you say?--going and -coming. When she is an actress you say she is different from the -rest--what a child! And when she is playing the child, you say what a -difference--she is such an artist! You laugh--see!" - -Beecher broke out laughing at this characterization which came so near -the truth. - -"What I have said is very good--very good," repeated Emma Fornez, -pleased. "It's all studied, very carefully studied out, but it takes -with young simpletons, big geese, good-looking boys--don't I know? -_Est-ce-que j'en ai joue de ces tours la_? Come, now, what did you fight -about?" - -Beecher had an inclination to take her into his confidence; but he -resisted the impulse, and to turn the conversation said artfully: - -"By Jove, you look stunning! You won't have to sing a note." - -She was in a filmy peignoir, and, as his glance showed an amused -admiration, she said, with a look of apology which she did not feel at -all, gathering the peignoir closer with a perfectly simulated modesty: - -"It's very bad--my receiving you like this. I am going through my -costumes. They are dreams. Wait, you shall see--you wish to see them? -Good!" All at once she stopped and, seizing his arm, cried: "Teddy, I -am in a cold fright--I shiver all over whenever I think of it. New York -audiences are terrible. It will be a big, big failure, won't it?" - -"There, I'll give you my lucky piece," he said, patting her shoulder as -he would a child's. - -"Will you!" she cried, delighted; and; running into the bedroom, she -called back: "I will show you the costume for the second act first. You -will fall down and adore me. Keep me talking, Teddy--I shall go into -hysterics. Oh, I am so frightened!" - -She tried her voice, singing a scale, inquiring anxiously, her head -peering around the door: "That sounds bad, _hein_?" - -"Marvelous!" said Beecher, who did not know one note from another. - -Reassured, she entered radiantly, took two or three steps forward, and, -lifting the castanets on her fingers, flung herself into the pose of -Carmen exulting in the return of her lover. - -"Carmen, Teddy," she cried, with a toss of her head. "Carmen is -different from all other roles. To succeed in Carmen, one must be a -Carmen one's self--_enfant de la Boheme_. You like this? Wait--wait a -moment." - -Back in her bedroom, she continued, pausing from time to time to shriek -at her maid: "Teddy, you do me so much good--you take my mind off.... -Victorine, _tu m'assassine_! ... Teddy, they will think me beautiful, -_hein_? You will stay--you will talk to me until I go?" - -"Wish I could," said Beecher, to whom this peep behind the scenes was -novel. "The deuce is, I'm dining with Mrs. Fontaine--going in her box." - -"And Charters--she is going too?" - -"I don't know." - -"What--you don't know?" she said, emerging, a shawl of shaded luminous -greens flung over the shoulder of a russet taffeta. She seized him by -the chin with the savage gesture of the Bohemian. "You lie to me! You -love her--and you know!" Then, slipping on the sofa beside him, half -playful, half feline, she pleaded: "Tell me, Teddy--tell me just to -distract me. Be a nice boy--you see how nervous I am--please!" - -Beecher did not resist. He recounted lightly, making little of the few -passages at arms between him and Nan Charters, ending with a droll -reproduction of his laughing exit, cured and disillusionized. - -"Ah, my poor Teddy!" said Emma Fornez, shaking her head. "Everything -you say proves what I feared." - -"What?" - -"You are in love; you are beyond hope! - -"What, after I've told you this?" - -"Exactly. She asked you to telephone, you didn't. Why? Because you -are in love--you are afraid." - -"Emma, I will tell you the truth," he said, with an excusing shrug. - -"Aha!" - -"I was attracted--" - -"Good!" - -"But I saw what an idiot I would be." - -"Very good!" - -"I am completely cured, and if I didn't telephone, it is--" - -"Because you are in love," said Emma promptly. - -"Nonsense!" - -"You will see her tomorrow; if not, day after tomorrow. And the longer -you stay away, the worse for you." - -The arrival of Spinetti, the conductor, to run over a last few points, -broke in upon this interesting discussion. Beecher departed, after a -promise to come behind after the second act with a budget of news. He -returned to his rooms, undisturbed by the charges of Emma Fornez. - -"I haven't thought of her the whole day," he said contentedly. "If I -didn't telephone, it's because--well, because--what's the use? I have -other things more interesting to do." - -In his apartment he found McKenna waiting for him, in company with -Gunther, who was already dressed for dinner at Mrs. Fontaine's. - -"Hello, McKenna," he said, surprised. "What's up?" - -The two had been discussing energetically, and the little difficult -hesitation told him that he himself had been the subject of -conversation. - -"I'm called off on an important case," said McKenna. "Thought I'd -better have an understanding with you first." - -"What understanding?" he said. His eye was attracted by the heaped-up -mail on a side table, and he moved over to examine it, with a curiosity, -utterly illogical, to see if Miss Charters had written him. - -"Mr. Beecher, I have a request to make of you," said McKenna quickly. - -"What's that?" - -"Don't open any letters or answer the telephone until I am gone." - -"Why, yes; but--" He cut off with a look of interrogation. - -"Pump it into him, Mac," said Gunther, throwing himself back and puffing -forth great volumes of smoke. - -"The truth is, Mr. Beecher," said McKenna, smiling, "Mrs. Kildair played -us both to the queen's fashion." - -"What was I to do?" said Beecher warmly. "Whom does the ring belong to, -anyway? Is there any reason I should do what she doesn't want me to?" - -"No--no," said McKenna slowly. - -"Could I have refused a direct demand from her like that? And what -reason could I give if I had?" - -"You couldn't," said McKenna, eying the end of his cigar. "She did the -job neatly. I admire that woman--don't know when I've met one of that -sex who's caught my fancy so." - -"I suppose you're sick of the case and want to get out," said Beecher, -believing he had divined the errand. "Don't know as I blame you." - -"No, I don't want to quit," said McKenna slowly, while Gunther smiled to -himself. "I should say, rather, there are things in this case that make -me particularly interested--interested for my own curiosity to go a -little deeper. Only, I want to be sure we understand things the same -way. You don't understand from anything Mrs. Kildair said, do you, that -I am prevented from going on working on my own hook?" - -"Why, no; of course not," said Beecher, reflecting. "I understand two -things: one, that Mrs. Kildair wishes to keep in confidence what she -said to you, which I should say was the explanation of certain facts -connected with her having the ring." - -"Second?" said McKenna. - -"Second, that she believes the ring will be returned, and until she is -sure it is she doesn't wish to give us certain suspicions or knowledge -that she has." - -"First rate--just right," said McKenna, rising quickly, showing -satisfaction in the instant alertness of his movements. "That's what I -understand; we understand each other." As he spoke, the telephone rang. -He made a quick gesture of opposition as Beecher started, saying: "Not -now, sir; I'd rather you wouldn't answer--not just now." - -Beecher looked at Gunther, who nodded and said: - -"McKenna's got a good reason. You'll understand later." - -"Now, Mr. Beecher, I've just one thing to say before I go," said -McKenna, while the insistent bell continued its querulous summons. "I'd -prefer you wouldn't mention to any one that you saw me. At any rate, as -Mrs. Kildair evidently isn't anxious for quick results, there's nothing -to be done now. Perhaps by tomorrow there may be a different turn to the -case." - -"What do you mean?" said Beecher. "Why don't you tell me what you -know?" - -"You forget, Mr. Beecher; you yourself have stopped me there," said -McKenna, with a slightly malicious smile. "However, there's going to be -a little meeting tonight that may have a whole lot to do with the -fortunes of a good many people; and when it's over it may, or may not, -throw a new light on this case." - -"They're going to put Slade through the same initiation they gave -Majendie," said Gunther, at a look from Beecher. "There's a meeting of -the big fellows at the governor's tonight--a sort of -sheep-shearing--though Slade's not much of a lamb." - -"And his wool grows close to the hide," said McKenna, with one of his -rare laughs. "However, I can tell you this much: whatever happens I -don't believe there'll be any exit by the bullet route--not if I know -John G. Slade. Now, sir, I've got to disappear for a while on my own -troubles." - -"Where can I get you?" asked Beecher. - -"You can't get me," said McKenna, with one of his sudden contractions of -the eyelids. "That's the whole point--not till I get you. I'm off, and -you don't know where," he added, offering his hand. "Maybe two days; -maybe a week." - -"I don't understand," said Beecher, with a puzzled expression. - -"I do," said Gunther, pulling his sleeve. - -"Now, there are two little points may interest you gentlemen as expert -deducers," said McKenna, with his hat on his head. "One is, I've found -out who those detectives were that night--they're crooks. Second--and -don't forget this--I share Mrs. Kildair's opinion that the ring is going -to be returned." - -"Then you know who took it!" exclaimed Beecher, while Gunther looked up -suddenly. - -"I don't know a single thing," said McKenna, "but I'm getting to the -suspicious stage. So long." - -The telephone had stopped. Beecher, left open-mouthed by the exit of -McKenna, turned to Gunther, who had resumed his easy lounge. - -"What the deuce is going on, Bruce? What's all this mystery?" - -"Look over your mail," said Gunther irrelevantly. - -Beecher obeyed the suggestion. At the end of a moment he exclaimed: - -"Hello! Why, here's a note from Mrs. Kildair--sent by messenger, -evidently." - -"Read it." - -Beecher glanced at it hurriedly. - - -DEAR TEDDY: - -Have been trying all day to get hold of McKenna, but they tell me at his -office he's out of town. I want to see him very much. If you know -where he is, please have him call me up. Shall see you at Mrs. -Fontaine's tonight. - -RITA. - -P.S. Please find McKenna if you possibly can. - - -"By Jove--McKenna!" he exclaimed, and hastened toward the door, only to -be stopped by Gunther. - -"Ted, you blockhead, what are you doing?" - -"Going after McKenna." - -"Just what he doesn't want." - -Beecher stopped short, suddenly comprehending. - -"That's it, is it?" he said, returning. "He wants to keep clear of Mrs. -Kildair's, then?" - -"You see," said Gunther, "it is not often that McKenna gets -double-crossed. When he does, he doesn't particularly relish it. Mrs. -Kildair may be perfectly right in bottling up the whole affair; but, -after what happened yesterday, Mac isn't going to stop until he gets to -the bottom." - -"But why disappear?" - -"Because, you little white fluffy toy donkey, the last thing in the -world Mrs. Kildair wants is to have him do anything at all, and, as you -are putty in the hands of any pretty woman, he doesn't intend to have -you call him off." - -"I'll see Mrs. Kildair at Louise's. What am I to say?" - -Gunther shrugged his shoulders. - -"Wonder if she's really playing to be Mrs. Slade," he said grimly. "If -she is, she'll give that up after tonight." - -"What's going to happen to him, Bruce?" - -"He'll come out with so little left that a Committee on Virtue will -arrest him for indecent exposure--and the country will be saved." - -Beecher stopped before the telephone. - -"Wonder if Mrs. Kildair really was on the 'phone?" he said meditatively. -The thought recalled Miss Charters, but without disturbing his -equanimity. - -"Bruce," he said joyfully, rushing to dress, "Tilton's crazy to have me -go to Africa with him. By Jove, I've half made up my mind! Give me a -man's life; a life with men, out in the open--dogs and horses, and -nothing but a few lions and fat elephants to bother you!" - -When they arrived at Mrs. Fontaine's, they found, to their surprise, -that Mrs. Kildair had been delayed by an automobile breaking down, and -would only join them later at the opera. - -Not one of them had the faintest suspicion, when later Mrs. Kildair -calmly entered the box, that she had passed through two hours of supreme -agitation that had left her torn between hope and dread--her whole -future staked on one turn. Slade, face to face with the crisis that -would determine whether he would survive as one of the figures of the -financial world, or return staggering into the oblivion of the -commonplace, had gone to see her in the afternoon. - -Confronted, too, by the imminent outcome of a gamble that had absorbed -all her ambitions and her hopes, she had recklessly thrown aside all the -restraints which she had interposed between them; and by an impulse of -daring which makes such women irresistible to men, having invented an -excuse for Mrs. Fontaine, had kept him to dinner, trusting to his -protection, insisting on his confidence. - -Afterward she had driven him to the gray, prison-like structure which -Gunther called a home, and seen him, defiant with a defiance she had -breathed into him, with the scorn of the gambler who comes at length to -the ultimate stake walk up the steps past the group of newspaper men, -who, suddenly ceasing their chatter, huddled together and watched him -with a unanimous craning of their heads. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVII* - - -Mrs. Craig Fontaine's box was in the lower grand tier in that favored -circle which, in the present struggle for social supremacy, is the -ultimate battlefield. Her entrance was one of the six important -arrivals of the night which affected the immense audience with a -curiosity only less intense than the entrance of the prima donna. Mrs. -Fontaine, approaching the curtain that shut out the swimming vision of -faces, took a preparatory glance, and as the row of boxes still showed a -profusion of gaps, she delayed their entrance on the pretext of waiting -for Mrs. Kildair. Besides Gunther and Beecher, there were in the party -Lady Fitzhugh Mowbray, a young woman of the striking English blonde -type, and the Duke de Taleza-Corti, of the royal house of Italy, a -cosmopolite, dry, frail in body, affecting the English monocle, with a -perpetual introspective smile on his keen lips. - -The absence of Mrs. Kildair had left Mrs. Fontaine in very bad humor. -Not only did she consider an invitation to her box as a sort of royal -command that should take precedence over all calamities, and render -accidents impossible, but she felt that she would miss the effect which -her well-balanced party had promised. Fortunately, at that moment the -door opened and Mrs. Kildair entered. - -"My dear Mrs. Fontaine," she said immediately, in a voice that could not -be heard by the rest, "the explanation I sent you is not true. It was -not a question of a break-down. There are crises in our lives that -cannot be put off. I can tell you no more than this, but I know you -will understand that nothing except a matter of supreme importance would -ever make me miss an invitation of yours." - -Mrs. Fontaine looked at her and, seeing beyond the surface calm the -fires of a profound agitation, was pleased that Mrs. Kildair had not -sought an easy excuse, but had thrown herself on her woman's generosity. -Also she perceived that she was strikingly dressed in a robe of that -luminous, elusive green that breaks forth in the flickering driftwood, -subdued and given distance by a network of black lace. It was exactly -the contrast that she would have chosen as a foil to her own costume. -She smiled, pressed her guest's hand sympathetically and signaled to -Gunther, who removed her wrap. - -Mrs. Kildair murmured an involuntary tribute while the Duke de -Taleza-Corti, with the over-frank admiration which the Latin permits, -said point blank: - -"If I am to sit behind you, Madame, you must bandage my eyes." - -Mrs. Fontaine had chosen the one color which, above all others, seemed -to have been created to frame her dark imperious beauty--a warm purple, -the tone of autumn itself, which gave to her shoulders and throat the -softness of ivory. About her neck was a double string of pearls which -were worth ten times the receipts of the house. - -"Let's go in," she said, glancing at Gunther with a hope that she might -find his eyes a little troubled. She signed to him to take the seat -behind hers, placing Beecher back of Mrs. Kildair, and while the rest of -her party immediately swept the house with their opera-glasses, she -remained quiet, conscious of the sudden focus, unwilling to show herself -curious of other women. - -"Look," said Mrs. Kildair to Beecher in a low aside; "Mrs. Bloodgood is -in her box. What daring!" she added after a moment's examination. "She -has dressed herself in black." - -Beecher, following her directions, beheld Mrs. Bloodgood, without a -single jewel or a relieving touch of color, sitting proudly, looking -fixedly at the stage, disdainful of the stir and gossip which her -dramatic appearance occasioned. Behind in the crowded box Mr. Bloodgood -was standing, smiling and contented, showing himself with a malicious -enjoyment. - -"How can she do it?" he said. - -"After the first act," said Mrs. Kildair, with a sudden impulse of -generosity, "go and see her. Take Mr. Gunther. It will give her -strength." - -"It is decidedly brilliant," said Lady Mowbray. "The parterre is much -more effective than Covent Garden." - -"There should be a guide to tell us all the histories of these boxes," -said Taleza-Corti, with his keen perception of values. "The opera is -the record of society. The history of America for the next twenty years -will be written here by those who descend from the galleries into the -orchestra, and those who force their way from the orchestra into the -boxes. I like to think of your millionaires who might have begun up -there under the roof. Fonda, our great novelist, says that the opera is -the city reduced to the terms of the village. It always impresses me. -Magnificent!" - -No one listened to him. The women nodded from time to time as their -glasses encountered those of acquaintances; Beecher, troubled at a -figure which he had half perceived in the orchestra and which he sought -to distinguish, fancied a resemblance to Nan Charters; Gunther, bored by -a spectacle which had no novelty for him, watched Mrs. Kildair, noting -the nervous hands and the occasional quickly taken breaths, asking -himself what had been the real cause of her absence, half divining in a -confused way the truth. - -Mrs. Fontaine was languidly curious of those who had a right to her -interest. She was in her element--jealous of this multitude as an -actress, pleased at the fine effect she had produced. And in her -triumph she was recalled to the one thing she desired to complete her -ambition, to give her that command of this assemblage which she was -forced to acknowledge to another. Her glance went to the box in the -middle of the horseshoe, as it did covetously each night. - -"Your father isn't here tonight," she said to Bruce Gunther with a -little surprise. - -"No. There is some big pow-wow on," he answered. - -Mrs. Kildair took up her glasses suddenly, turning them haphazard. The -remark revived in her all the agitation of the afternoon. - -"I shall never be able to sit through this," she said to herself, -leaning forward. "If I only knew--" - -Mrs. Fontaine, could she have known the thoughts that were galloping -through the brain of her guest, would have been astounded at their -similarity. Mrs. Kildair, too, had her ambitions, ambitions as -passionately held and nourished on one hope. The interview that -afternoon with Slade, an interview in which for the first time she had -made him feel the need of her, had all at once brought the prize within -her grasp. If he could but emerge from this one supreme danger, she -said to herself that she had at last the opportunity to rate herself -here among the leaders of this society which she coveted, had always -coveted and would never cease to covet. - -"Give me Slade and twenty millions even," she said to herself with a -great intaking of breath, "and I can do anything. I will dominate this -in five years." But the more violently burned the fire of her desire, -the more weak and faltering was her hope. "Ah, will he win out--can -he--how is it possible?" she said bitterly. "Oh, what a gamble it all -is--and I must sit here--continue to sit here like a stone--while in an -hour it may all be decided!" - -"You've seen Fornez in _Carmen_?" said Taleza-Corti to Gunther. "Very -fine." - -"First appearance here," said Gunther briefly. He touched Beecher on the -arm. "Friends of yours over there, Ted." - -"Who?" - -"The Cheevers--little to your right--row above. Hello," he added -suddenly. "See who's with them?" - -"Who?" said Beecher, who did not recognize the rest of the party. - -Gunther placed his finger on his lips, with a warning glance at Mrs. -Kildair, and then, bending forward, said: - -"I say, Mrs. Kildair, who is that tall, rather black chap in the box -with the Stanley Cheevers? He's looking this way now." - -Mrs. Kildair raised her glasses. - -"Mr. Mapleson," she said directly. - -"He's the head of Sontag & Company, the jewelers, isn't he?" - -"Yes, I believe so." - -"Queer looking chap--ever know him?" - -"Yes. Why?" - -She turned, looking at the questioner with a fixity that told him she -was not entirely ignorant of his real interest. - -"He must have been in Paris when you were," he said quickly. "I hear he -had quite a career there." - -She turned away with indifference, gazed once more through her glasses -and said: - -"Yes, there were quite a number of stories about his rise. He is a man -with a genius for friendships." - -"Rather attentive to Mrs. Cheever, isn't he?" persisted Gunther. - -"I didn't know it." - -Beecher did not then seize the drift of the inquiry, still absorbed as -he was in the attempt to gain a clearer view of the profile in the -orchestra which reminded him of Nan Charters. Lady Mowbray continued -silent, busy as a true Briton in the search for the ridiculous in this -assemblage which at first glance had impressed her. - -All at once the lights went out and the first act was on. The entrance -of Emma Fornez was eagerly awaited as a new sensation to an audience -which yearly must be served with the novel and startling. It had been -rumored that her impersonation was even a bit shocking, and the house, -stirred by the expectation, waited hopefully. At the end of the act -opinions were divided: the galleries applauded frantically, moved by the -sure magnetism of a great artist, but the boxes and most of the -orchestra waited undecided, each afraid to be the leader. - -"But I don't see anything shocking at all," said the voice of a young -woman in the next box, a note of complaint in her voice. - -"Wait--it's in the second act," answered the sarcastic note of a man. - -"Ah, the love scene," said the woman mollified. - -The two young men rose, giving their places to arriving visitors, and -went into the corridors on their rounds. Beecher was thoughtful. He -had at last assured himself that he had not been mistaken--Miss Charters -was present. He had detected her with her glasses on his box, but he -had not succeeded in seeing who was her companion. - -"I'd give a good deal to know how well Mrs. Cheever knows Mapleson," -said Gunther eagerly. - -"I say, what do you mean by poking me?" asked Beecher suddenly. - -"Didn't you get on? Mapleson is the head of Sontag & Company; Sontag & -Company sold the ring to Slade. Now if Mapleson and Mrs. Cheever are -intimate it's possible--just a chance--Mrs. Cheever may have known the -facts. See?" - -Beecher shrugged his shoulders. - -"It's a long shot." - -"But a chance. I'll pick up some one here in five minutes who can tell -me." - -Beecher entered the Bloodgood box and, making his way to the front, gave -his hand to Mrs. Bloodgood. Four or five men, impelled by curiosity, -were before him, mentally registering their reports to add to the fund -of gossip. Mrs. Bloodgood, glad to avail herself of the opportunity, -had turned her back on the audience and was holding her head against -these social scouts, who discussed Slade, which was a manner of -discussing Majendie. - -She welcomed Beecher's arrival as that of an ally and made him the -pretext of withdrawing from the general conversation. The moment he -looked at her, he had the tact to perceive that any display of sympathy -would be an offense. There was no trace left of the weak and desperate -woman. Instead, he was aware of an immense change in her, a -transformation that was moral, and looking into her eyes he could not -realize that he had ever seen them weep. - -"They'll force out Slade," said a voice. - -"Where are you tonight?" she asked quietly. - -"In Mrs. Craig Fontaine's box," he said. - -"Mrs. Kildair is there, isn't she?" - -"Yes." He hesitated, but did not deliver her message. The woman before -him asked compassion from no one. In the commotion at his side he -caught a phrase: "Wonder if Slade will kill himself too?" - -"Do you like Fornez?" he said hastily, and despite himself he looked -into her eyes to see what effect the remark had made. - -"Very much," she said coldly, a little staccato. And then calmly, to end -a subject that was disagreeable to her, she turned to the other. -"Fornez has made a success, don't you think?" - -Beecher left presently, oppressed by the hardness that he felt in her. - -"There's a woman who will never have any pity," he thought as he left. -Mr. Bloodgood, who remembered him with a malicious smile, shook his hand -with extra cordiality. - -"Did you give my message?" asked Mrs. Kildair as he took his place. - -"It was wiser not," he said. Then all at once, struck by the fatigue in -her face, he asked anxiously: "Are you very tired?" - -"Yes, very," she said. - -In this box, too, nothing had been spoken of except the drama, which at -that moment was centered about John G. Slade. As nothing could possibly -be known, every one arrived with a fresh rumor, and the burden of all -was the annihilation of the Westerner. The sudden darkness came to her -as a relief. She relaxed wearily in her chair and forced her mind to -forget itself in the sudden access of gaiety from the stage. - -This second act was a veritable triumph for Emma Fornez. In the scene -of Don Jose's return she acted with such fine and natural primitive -passion that all the constricted little feminine natures in the audience -were stirred by the pulsing exhibition of an emotion they had carefully -choked or reduced to mathematics, and, really moved, trembling in their -imprisoned bodies, they applauded for the first time. Then suddenly -they ceased--a little ashamed. - -In descending the stairway to go behind the stage, Beecher perceived -Miss Charters in the distance of the shifting crowd. He stopped, by a -movement he did not analyze, to speak to a purely chance acquaintance, -hoping that she would perceive him. Then he continued to the -dressing-room of the prima donna. - -Emma Fornez was in a state of frenzied delight. - -"I have them, Teddy--I have them! Is it not so?" she cried, clapping -her hands together as a child. She flung her arms about him, embracing -him. In fact, she embraced every one--even Victorine, her maid. - -"The house is wild with enthusiasm," he said, laughing. - -"Aha! I made them sit up, didn't I--your cold women! It's the second -act, Teddy--the second--you get them there. Bah! They don't even know -what I did to them." All at once she stopped, seriously assuming a -countenance of terror. "Oh, but the critics--what will the monsters -say! They never like it when the audience is too enthusiastic." - -[Illustration: "'Aha! I made them sit up, didn't I--your cold women!'"] - -"I saw Macklin applauding, Madame," said Spinetti, putting his head into -the room. - -"Angel!" cried Emma Fornez, and she embraced Spinetti. Then, knowing in -herself that the day was won, she began to amuse her audience. "Do you -know what the critics will write? I'll tell you. The audience was -carried off its feet in the second act. They will praise the first. -They will say the second was obvious, and they will praise the third -act, because there I shall do a little trick to them--in the card scene. -I shall be very noble--very tragic. I will make a little picture of -death before my eyes--with all his bones rattling and his great big -hollow eyes, and they shall see it on my face--so! And I'll look very -steady--noble--profound--like a queen. See?--a thing which Carmen would -nevere, nevere do, for she's a little wretch of an animal that would be -frightened to death. But you will see they will all like it--it's their -moral that you have to serve up to them." - -"Third act--third act," came the running call from the flies. "All on -the stage for the third act." - -When Beecher entered the corridor, Miss Charters was only a short -distance away. He was prepared for Lorraine as a companion, but he felt -a sudden anger at the sight of Garraboy, who in turn, suddenly -comprehending the aim of his partner's maneuvers, looked anything but -pleased. - -She nodded to him, holding out her hand. - -"She is wonderful, Teddy, wonderful. Have you seen her? Is she -pleased?" - -"She is a great, great artist," he said with extra warmth. "She is -pleased as a child." - -The two men had nodded with that impertinent jerk of the head which in -society conveys the effect of a bucket of water. - -"Come and see me after the next act," she said, looking at him closely. - -"If I can," he said hastily. - -He went up the steps and from the tail of his eye saw her linger, -watching him as he went. A little contrition, a sudden sympathy came to -him, but he repressed it angrily, saying to himself between his teeth: - -"Garraboy--how can she stand for that!" - -When he returned to the box, Mrs. Kildair and Mrs. Fontaine were in the -anteroom in low converse. He was suddenly struck with the look of age -in Mrs. Kildair's face. - -"But I assure you--I can go alone," she was saying. - -"I would not allow it," said Mrs. Fontaine firmly. Then turning to -Beecher she said, so as not to reach the others: "Teddy, as soon as the -curtain is up, step out. Mrs. Kildair is not well. You will take her -home. I have ordered the automobile. You can get back for the last -act." - -Mrs. Kildair made no further remonstrance--she was at the end of her -tether. - -"Sit here," she said to Beecher, sitting down on the couch. "I don't -want to be noticed." - -"You're ill!" he said alarmed. - -"Yes, ill," she said mechanically. - -At this moment the house became still. She rose with a return of energy -and signaled him that she was ready. Five minutes later they were in -the automobile fleeing uptown. - -A moment of weakness was rare in her life, yet she comprehended it -without seeking to delude herself. - -"At twenty I should not even have trembled," she said to herself, -sinking back into the cushioned seat and watching the lights of the -streets flash past the window with a comforting emotion of speed. "Now -it is different. Every life has one supreme opportunity--this is mine. -I know it." - -Had a woman been at her side instead of Beecher, she would have given -her confidence in the terrible necessity for sharing the emotion that -was too vital to her. As it was, she restrained herself, remaining -silent by a last effort of her will, but her hand on the window-frame -began a nervous syncopated beating, imitating the click of the fleeing -rails which one hears on a railroad train. - -"You are feeling better?" said the young man in a troubled voice. - -"Open the window--just for a moment," she answered. - -The sudden blast of cold air, damp as though laden with the tears of the -city, terrified her with its suggestion of despair and defeat. - -"No, no, shut it!" she said hurriedly. - -He obeyed and then to distract her, began: - -"I received your note, Rita, just before coming, McKenna--" - -"No, no," she said, interrupting him, "that is nothing. Just let me be -quiet a moment--get hold of myself." - -But in a few moments she was forced to seek the stimulus of the air -again, and she cried hurriedly, not concealing her agitation: - -"Open, open quick!" - -The crisis which she felt approaching with every block which fell behind -was so immense, the stake so ardently coveted, so weakly feared, that -she had in the last eternal waiting moments a sensation of vertigo, that -swept down and seized her even as on the football field before the -blowing of the whistle the stanchest player feels his heart lying before -him on the ground. She opened her lips, drinking in the chill, -revivifying draught, unaware of the strange impression her disordered -countenance in the embrasure of the window made on the occasional -passers-by. - -"Better first in a village than second in Rome." - -She found herself repeating the saying mechanically, without quite -understanding how it had so suddenly leaped into her mind. Then, as the -automobile turned into her street, and she felt that he was there -waiting as he had promised, successful or ruined; that now in ten -minutes all would be over, she would know; all at once, without that -sense of humor which deserts us in great stress, she began to pray -confusedly to some one immense, whom she had never understood, but one -who seemed to hold all fates in the balancing of his fingers. - -"Are you better? What shall I do? Shall I come up with you?" asked -Beecher, totally in the dark. - -"No, no--wait," she said hurriedly, as the machine ground to a stop. -She did not rise at once, stiffening in her seat, grasping the arm of -the young man until he winced under the contraction of her fingers. - -"Good!" she said suddenly; and before he could prevent her she was out -on the sidewalk. "No, no; stay in. Thanks, thanks a thousand times. -I'll send you back." - -Before he could protest, she shut the door firmly and nodded to the -chauffeur. - -The elevator boy was already at the swinging glass doors, holding them -open for her entrance. - -"Mr. Slade here, Jo?" she said instantly. - -"Yes, ma'am; upstairs." - -"How long?" - -"About half an hour." - -She entered the elevator and descended at the landing, waiting until it -had disappeared. - -"Now for it!" she said, pressing the bell. And by a last display of her -will, she sent through her body a wave of cold resolution that left her -outwardly impassive with a little touch of scorn on her lips. - - - - - *CHAPTER XVIII* - - -It is only in the supreme crisis of a colossal disaster that a nation, -which fondly believes it elects its governing bodies, perceives its real -masters, and then in the alarm and confusion of its apprehension, it -does not recognize what it is shown. The group of ten men who were -assembled at Gunther's, awaiting the arrival of Slade, either in -themselves or through the influences they represented, could bring to -their support over ten billions of capital. If it were possible to -conceive of a master spirit who could unite these ten men, forgetting -mutual jealousy and distrust, into one unanimous body with but a single -object, in five years these ten men, without the impediment of law, -could own every necessary newspaper and magazine in the country, operate -every railroad, and, by the simple process of reinvesting their earnings -annually, control every important industry, every necessary chain of -banks, the entire food supply of the nation, and, at the cost of twenty -million dollars every four years and by remaining unknown, control the -necessary number of candidates in both political parties in matters -essential to their financial interests. That such a coalition will -remain a fantasy, is due to two factors: the human nature of such -individuals and the human nature of multitudes which, were they -successful, would find the corrective in massacre. When such a monetary -alliance does take place, it is usually from the necessity, as they see -it, of saving the country by the simple process of enriching themselves. - -When Slade arrived, he entered by the separate entrance to Gunther's -personal apartments, which were situated in a lower wing of the -monstrous turreted granite structure which might have served for a -miniature Bastile. One of the secretaries was at the door carefully -scrutinizing all arrivals. The moment he entered, he was aware that his -fate was not the only one that was under discussion. - -The wing of the house was laid out in the form of a Maltese cross, with -a square anteroom in the center, heavily spread with silk Persian rugs, -and furnished with easy divans and upholstered chairs. Above was a -skylight, now transformed into a vast reflector for the burst of -electric lights. - -Four entrances of equal height in heavy Florentine relief gave on this -anteroom; from Gunther's private office, from the library, from the -rooms of the private secretaries, and from the outer entrance by which -Slade advanced. In the middle of the anteroom Gunther was seated at a -small card-table, studiously engrossed in a game of solitaire. He was a -medium-seized man who, without an effect of bulk, conveyed an instant -impression of solidity, while the head, remarkable in the changed -physiognomy of the present day, had the falcon-like, eerie quality, -characteristic of the spreading eyebrows and deep-set glance of the -American before the Civil War. Slow in movement, slow in speech, he was -likewise slow in the deliberation with which his scrutiny left the face -he was considering. - -At the vigorous shock of Slade's coming, he completed a row of carefully -laid cards and lifted his head. - -"How do you do, Mr. Gunther?" said Slade, whose eye was instantly set on -the half-opened doors leading into the library, from which sounds of -altercation were issuing. - -Slade's arrival seemed to surprise Gunther, who looked at his watch and -said, without rising: - -"You're ahead of time, Mr. Slade." - -"Always like to look over the ground when there's a battle," said Slade, -who in fact had intentionally effected a surprise. - -"Sit down." - -He motioned to the secretary, who, moving on springs, brought cigars and -a light. - -"I'll have to keep you waiting, Mr. Slade. There is a conference taking -place." - -Slade glanced from the library to the closed doors of the secretaries' -room. - -"How many conferences have you?" - -Gunther turned over a card, studied it and carefully laid it down. It -was his manner of settling a question he did not wish to answer. - -Slade was not offended by the rebuff. Holding most men in antagonism, -he had conceived a violent admiration for Gunther and as he was the man -above all others whom he wished to impress, he imitated his taciturnity, -turning his imagination on the probable groups behind the three double -doors, which once had closed on a famous conspiracy in a palace of -turbulent medieval Florence. - -Gunther at this moment was probably the most powerful personal force in -the United States, and, what was more extraordinary, in an era of public -antipathy to its newly created magnates, enjoyed universal respect. As -he showed himself rarely, never gave interviews, and surrounded himself -by choice with that inciting element of seclusion which Napoleon by -calculation adopted on his return from Italy, the public had magnified -what it could not perceive. Even as royal personages of distinctly -bourgeois caliber have been impressed on history by the exigencies of -the kingly tradition as models of tact and statesmanship, so events and -the necessities of the public imagination had combined to throw about -the personality of Gunther an atmosphere of grandiose mystery. Just as -it is true that what is a virtue in one man is a defect in another, the -imagination he possessed was much less than he was credited with and his -power lay in his ability to control it. For imagination, which is the -genius of progress, in a banker approaches a crime. - -His strength lay in being that inevitable man who results as the balance -wheel of conflicting interests. For beyond the Stock Exchange, which is -a purely artificial organization, the financial powers will always -create what amounts to a saving check, around one inevitable -personality, whom they can trust and about whom, in times of common -danger, they can rally as to a standard. At this moment, the invested -wealth of the country, frightened at the cataclysm which threatened it, -had thrown its resources implicitly into the hands of this one man, who -came forward at the psychological time to stop the panic, issuing his -orders, and marshaling his forces with a response of instant obedience. - -"What's going on here?" said Slade to himself. "And what's the -proposition they're reckoning on squeezing out of me? I'd like to know -what's going on behind those doors." - -As though in response to his wish the doors of the secretaries' room -swung, and a round, rolling little man of fifty, in evening dress, came -hurriedly out, holding in his hand a slip of paper. He approached the -stolid player with precipitation, and yet, obeying a certain instinct of -deference, which showed itself despite his disorder, he waited until -Gunther had completed a play he had in hand before blurting out: - -"Mr. Gunther, this is the best we can do." - -Gunther took the slip which was offered to him, glanced at it and -returned it abruptly. - -"Not sufficient," he said and took up his pack of cards. - -The emissary, crestfallen and desperate, returned to the conference and -at the opening of the door the sound of violent discussion momentarily -filled the anteroom as a sudden blast of storm. - -"I have it," said Slade, who had recognized Delancy Gilbert, of the firm -of Gilbert, Drake & Bauerman, brokers and promoters of mining interests -in Mexico, whose failure had been circulated from lip to lip in the last -forty-eight hours. "I see that game. Gilbert's to be mulcted of his -Osaba interests--for whom though? The United Mining, undoubtedly." - -Five minutes later the doors of the library opened in turn and a -military figure, gray, bent, with tears in his eyes, came slowly out, -the type of convenient figureheads which stronger men place in the -presidencies of subsidiary corporations. He likewise placed a sheet of -paper before the financier, watching him from the corner of his eye, his -white finger working nervously in the grizzled mustache. - -"We've agreed on this, Mr. Gunther," he said desperately, in a voice -shaken by suppressed emotion. "That's as far as we can go--and that -means ruin!" - -Gunther examined the sheet with slow attention, nodding favorably twice; -but at a third column he shook his head and, seizing a pencil, jotted -down a figure, carefully drawing a circle around it. - -"That's what I must have," he said and returned to his solitaire. - -The emissary hesitated, seemed about to argue, and then, with a hopeless -heave of his shoulders, retired. Gunther frowned but the frown was -called forth by an unfavorable conjunction of the cards. Not once had he -seemed to notice the presence of Slade. In the same position the -promoter could not have helped stealing a glance to witness the effect. -Slade registered the observation, mentally admitting the difference. - -"What does he keep me here for?" he thought, but almost immediately -answered the question: "Effect on the others, of course. Well, let them -pull their own chestnuts out of the fire." - -In the last emissary he had recognized General Arthur Roe Paxton, -President of the Mohican Trust, exploiter of certain Southern oil -fields, equally involved in the Osaba speculation. The knowledge of the -operations which were being discussed--which he readily divined were the -surrender of important holdings--prepared him for the demands he must -expect to meet. - -At this moment Gunther swept the cards together, glanced at his watch, -and pressed an electric button. - -"Mr. Slade," he said, fixing his lantern-like stare upon the promoter, -"I need not tell you that we are in a desperate situation, that it is -time for action--decisive and immediate action." - -Slade answered by an impatient jerking of his thumb, and, rising as he -beheld the secretary returning from the private office where he had been -sent by a look of Gunther's, said: - -"I understand perfectly. If the gentlemen whom I am to meet understand -the situation as well as I do, we shall have no trouble." - -Gunther continued to study him thoughtfully, struck by the confidence of -his attitude where desperation might have been expected. He seemed for -a moment about to say something, but presently, giving a sign to his -secretary, began thoughtfully to shuffle the cards. - -In the private office a group of men were assembled about the long -table. The disposition of Slade had been but an incident in the -discussion which had been called to decide upon the methods to be -pursued in coming to the support of the market, and the deliberation had -left its marks of dissension. Slade, on entering, rapidly surveyed the -group, perceived its discord, and divided it into its component -interests. - -"The United Mining is the key," he said, on recognizing Haggerty and -Forscheim. - -The group was like a trans-section of that conflicting America which -seems to hold the destiny of types. Fontaine, one of the landed -proprietors of the city, French of descent and aristocratic by the -purifying experience of two generations, was next to Haggerty, a -cross-grained, roughly hewn type of the indomitable Irish immigrant of -the seventies, who had risen to power out of the silver mines of the -eighties. Leo Marx, olive in tint, whispering in manner, thin-veined -and handsome, represented the Jewish aristocracy that had ingrained -itself in the great banking houses of New York; while Forscheim, leading -spirit of five brothers, abrupt, too aggressive or too compliant, -cunning and unsatisfied, was the Hebrew of speculation, the creator of -the great corporation known as the United Mining. - -Judge Seton B. Barton, representative of the great oil interests, was -the grim Yankee, unrelieved by his modifying humor, implacable in small -things as well as great, knowing no other interest in life except the -passion of acquiring. - -Kraus, an ungainly, bulky German-American, had not moved from the -half-retreating position he had taken on seating himself. He answered -with a short movement of his head, watching every one with covetous, -suspicious eyes that glimmered weakly over the spectacles which had -slipped to the bridge of his nose, never suggested a move, and gave his -assent the last. He was the owner of a fortune estimated at three -hundred millions, acquired in lumber holdings over a territory in the -West which would have made another Belgium. - -McBane, one of the strongest figures which the rise of the great steel -industry had propelled into the public light, was a short, fussy, brisk -little man, tenacious, agile, obstinate in opinion, while outwardly -smiling with a general air of delighted surprise at his own success. He -was the present active force in the group of steel magnates whose -personal fortunes alone amounted to over three quarters of a billion. - -Marcus Stone, president of the greatest banking force of the country, -the Columbus National, was a middle-westerner, sprung from the hardy -soil of Ohio, virile, deep-lunged, direct and domineering, agent of -colossal enterprises, rooted in conservatism and regarding his vocation -as an almost sacred call. He accounted himself a poor man; he was worth -only three millions. - -Rupert V. Steele, head of the legal firm of Steele, Forshay & Benton, -corporation lawyers, was the type of the brilliant Southerner, -adventuring into the Eldorado of New York as the Gascon seeks Paris or -the Irishman the lure of London. He might almost be said to have -created a new profession--the lawyer-promoter--and in his capacious, -fertile head had been evolved the schemes of law-avoiding combinations -that others received the credit for. In public he was one of the -stanchest defenders of the Constitution and an eloquent exponent of the -sanctity of the judiciary. - -With the exception of Fontaine and Marx, in this varied group of -master-adventurers, all had begun life with little better than the coats -on their backs, and the colossal fortunes which roughly totaled two -billions had been amassed in virtually twenty years. This is a point -which future economists may ponder over with profit. - -At Slade's entrance the conversation abruptly ceased and each in his own -manner studied the new arrival; some with languid, confident curiosity; -Forscheim, who had old scores to settle, with a glance of unrestrained -satisfaction; Steele, leaning a little forward, eager in his -inquisitorial mind to divine the attack, already convinced that such a -personality as Slade would not come without an aggressive defense. - -The second glance reassured Slade, for he distinguished in the group the -conflicting rivalries and perceived by what slender checks the -irrepressible jealousies and antagonisms had been stilled. - -"If they've got together," he said to himself with a sudden delight in a -favorable hazard, "it's because they're scared to the ground and they -want to shut off the panic first and trim me second. Good! That's what -I wanted to be sure of." - -He advanced to the head of the table, swinging into place a heavy chair -which he swept through the air as though it had been paper, and, -resolved to acquire the advantage of initiative, said: - -"Well, gentlemen, let's get right down to business. I've come to get -five millions." - -In their astonishment several pushed back their chairs with a harsh, -grating sound. Forscheim laughed aloud insolently, but Steele, -sensitive to small things, instantly determined to employ caution, to be -the last to crush him if he failed, and the first to support him if he -had indeed the power to survive. - -"Mr. Slade," said Stone in his blasting manner, "your remark is in bad -taste. The situation you are facing is an exceedingly serious one and -only a prompt compliance on your part with the measures we have -determined upon to avert a national calamity, will save you from -bankruptcy"--he stopped, but not from hesitation, adding with a sudden -flush of anger--"and worse." - -"We are here," said McBane, in tones of conviction which produced a -nodding of assenting heads, "in the performance of a public duty. In -carrying that out we do not intend to allow the fate of one man or a -dozen to interfere with the steps we intend to take to restore public -confidence." - -"And I repeat," said Slade, with a disdainful smile, "that I am here to -get five millions; and you are going to give it to me." - -An outburst of exclamations followed this assertion, half angry, half -contemptuous, above which was heard Forscheim's shrill nasal voice -saying: - -"Dere is a shtate examiner, Mr. Shlade, don't forget dat." - -"My books are kept as carefully as yours, Forscheim," said Slade, with a -sudden angry concentration of his glance. He had once in a committee -meeting taken Forscheim by the throat and flung him out of doors--a fear -which the other could never forget. Then he struck the table a -resounding blow with his fist, stilling the clamor. - -"Wait!" he exclaimed, rising until his bulky figure towered over the -table. "Don't let's waste time. Come to the point. You think I've -come here to receive your terms. You are mistaken. I've come here to -deliver an ultimatum--my ultimatum." - -"Do you realize, sir," said Judge Barton sternly, "what the object of -this meeting is? We are here to preserve the prosperity of this country -for the next ten years, the homes and savings of millions of persons." - -"No, that is not why you are here," said Slade contemptuously. "I'll -tell you why you are here. You are here to protect your own -interests--first, last, and always! Because a panic to you means -hundreds of millions, the end of development, the closing of markets; -because at the end of a stock market panic is an industrial panic, and -the end of any protracted individual depression means the colossal -flattening out of your billion dollar trusts. That's why there'll never -be another '93--that's the one good thing in the present situation the -public doesn't know. There isn't going to be a '93 now, and you know it -and I know it." - -"Suppose, Mr. Slade, you listen to our stipulations first," said McBane, -but in a more conciliatory tone. - -Beyond his exposition which had struck all with its piercing verity, -Slade had effected over them an almost physical mastery, which men -grudgingly are forced to yield to masculine strength. - -"I know your demands," said Slade instantly. "Oh, there is no informer -present. Nothing difficult. I know you and the way your minds work. -You have three conditions: first, I am to resign the presidency of the -Associated Trust; second, sell my stock control to a syndicate you have -organized, which will stand as a guarantee to the public; third, the -taking over of all my holdings in the Osaba territory by the United -Mining Company. Am I right?" - -He did not need to wait for a reply; the answer was plain upon their -countenances. - -"Now, gentlemen, I'm going to finish up," he said, pursuing his -advantage. "Remember one thing: I'm not a Majendie. I fight to the -last breath and when I'm downed I carry everything I get my hands on -down with me. - -"Now, let's be perfectly plain. I know where I stand. If Majendie and -the Atlantic Trust hadn't gone to smash, there wouldn't be a ghost of a -show for me; you'd squeeze every last cent I had. I know it. I knew it -then when I knew it was Majendie or me. But you see Majendie's dead and -the Atlantic Trust--three hundred and eighty millions--has closed its -doors. That makes all the difference in the world. You don't want to -trim me--not primarily. Forscheim and the United Mining do--that's -their private affair. What you men who count want, I repeat, is to stop -this panic--to get me out of the way and stop the panic if you can; if -you can't get me out of the way, to stop the panic at once--now--within -twenty-four hours! Now, gentlemen, I defy you to let the Associated -Trust close its doors tomorrow and prevent, with all your money, the -wreck of every industry in the country." - -"You overestimate the importance of such a failure," said Fontaine -slowly, but without aggressiveness. - -Slade's attack had made a profound impression. - -"I have taken particular care that if the Associated fails, it'll be the -biggest smash on record," said Slade, ready now to play his trump card. - -"What do you mean?" demanded Haggerty, startled, while the others waited -expectantly. - -"Just that," said Slade, not unwilling that they should know the depth -of his game. "If the Associated fails, sixty-seven institutions fail -from here to San Francisco. I have taken care of that in the last two -months." - -"You haf ingreased your oplications at sooch a time!" fairly shrieked -Forscheim, who saw his victory eluding him. - -"You bet I did," said Slade. "I made sure that I couldn't be _allowed_ -to fail." - -He took from his pocket a folded sheet and handed it to Steele, who had -a moment before finally determined to come to his support. - -"That's what failure means. Pass it around," he said. - -The lawyer elevated his eyebrows in astonishment. The disclosure of how -Slade by negotiating loans with a number of subsidiary institutions -throughout the country had made them united in his general fate, -completed the dawning recognition of a master which had been forming in -his mind. - -"He will beat them," he thought, passing on the paper. "He will go far. -I must be his friend." Aloud he said carefully: "Of course, Mr. Slade, -at the bottom the affairs of the Associated Trust are absolutely -solvent." - -"Solvent under any system of banking in the world which does not -withhold ready money on proper guarantees," said Slade, looking at him -with a glance that showed the lawyer he had received his alliance; -"solvent as the Atlantic Trust was, is, and will be proved to be. You -gentlemen know that as well as I do." - -"Of course, Mr. Slade," said Steele, with an appearance of -aggressiveness which the other understood perfectly, "one thing must be -understood--the present speculative operations of the Trust Companies -can not go on." - -"Now, gentlemen, to finish up," said Slade, who seized the hint. -"Here's my answer: I will agree to any legislation, in fact will urge -it, that will place the Trust Companies on the basis of the National -Banks; that is, on the same conservative basis of loans and -transactions. That is right. I am now convinced that it is for the -best." He allowed a slight smile to show and continued: "I will resign -as President of the Associated Trust three months from to-day. That I -had already determined on. For what I wish to do, that would only be an -embarrassment. You will lend me the five millions I wish and, better -still, tomorrow morning make a simple announcement to the effect that, -having consulted on the affairs of the Associated Trust, you have found -no reasons for apprehension, and announce that you will come to its -support. Sign it Fontaine, Gunther, McBane, Marx and Stone, and the run -on the banks will end in twenty-four hours. Tomorrow morning I will -personally assure Mr. Steele, by an examination of my books, that -affairs are as I have described. After this examination you can place -five millions to my disposal--if necessary. Believe me, this is a much -better way to end the panic. You reassure public confidence by your -guarantee. The other way, by forcing my resignation, you create an -impression that everything is rotten. Besides, the first way has this -advantage--it is the only way. That's my word, gentlemen; if you intend -to stop the panic you've got to float me!" - -An hour later, having yielded not a jot of his position, turning a deaf -ear to threats, expostulations and arguments, he rose victorious. - -In the anteroom he went up to Gunther, who was still bowed over his -solitaire, waiting grimly until his word had been carried out. - -"Mr. Gunther," said Slade, stopping at the table, "we have come to an -understanding. The gentlemen in the other room were agreeably surprised -at my exposition of the affairs of the Associated Trust. They are going -to lend me five millions." - -"Indeed!" said Gunther in a sort of grunt but with a countenance so -impassive that Slade was moved to admiration. - -"Gunther," he said, suddenly carried away by a feeling of prophetic -elation, "up to now you've known me only as a speculator. Now I'm going -to become a conservative force. In a month I'm coming to you with a -proposition. You're the only man I would ever trust. Good-night." - -His automobile was waiting. He threw himself riotously into it, giving -the address of Mrs. Kildair's apartment; and as he felt the pleasant, -exhilarating sensation which the speed of his machine conveyed to him, -he repeated, feeling suddenly how at last he had emerged from the perils -of the first phase which he had once so frankly defined: - -"Now, I'll be conservative!" - -Unlike Gunther, who had behind him the traditions of generations of -authority, Slade had that typical quality so perplexing in the American -millionaire of sudden fortune--the childlike eagerness for admiration. -When he arrived at Mrs. Kildair's and found that she was still absent, -he was consumed with a nervous impatience. He seated himself at the -piano, playing over clumsily refrains of the crude ranch songs which -came to him as an echo of his earlier struggling days. But these echoes -of a past conflict seemed only to whet his impatience. He ended with a -crashing discord and rose, lighting another cigar, pacing the broad -space of the studio with rapid, restless strides, surprised at the -annoyance which her absence brought him. - -When Mrs. Kildair entered, let in by Henriette, her maid, Slade flung -aside his cigar and strode impatiently forward. - -One glance at his triumphant face told her what she wanted to know. She -made a quick sign to him with her hand and turned her back, disengaging -her opera cloak with exaggerated slowness, drawing a deep breath. Then -she sent Henriette upstairs to her room to wait until she called. - -"Congratulations," she said calmly, entering the studio and extending -her hand. "You have won!" - -"How do you know?" he said, taken back by her composure. - -"It is there--in your eyes," she said, passing her fingers so close to -them that he seemed to feel their soft contact. "Tell me all about it." - -"Yes, I've beaten them--Fontaine, Barton, Forscheim, Haggerty, the whole -lot of them," he cried with a gleeful laugh. "More, I've forced myself -into their hidebound circle. You'll see--in a month I'll be one of -them." - -At times roguishly delighted as a boy, at others with flashes of -primitive power, he related to the eager woman all the details of the -night and the desperate stake he had played to make a failure so -colossal that they themselves would recoil before it. - -"And if Majendie had not killed himself?" she said breathlessly, -womanlike perceiving the hazards of fate. - -"But he did!" he cried impatiently, unwilling to admit the element of -chance in the destiny he had hewn for himself. But the thought sobered -him. He looked down from the height to which his ambition had flung him. -"It's true. It was either Majendie or me," he said quietly. "Shall I -tell you something? That night we were here I knew he was lost--that he -would do it. Don't ask me how I knew!" Then, shaking off the memory as -an evil dream, he continued, extending his arm in crude magnetic -gestures: "Well, that's over. I am where I want to be; the rest is -easy. In a month--two months--they will see, Forscheim and Haggerty, -how the trap they laid for me has sprung against them. Tonight will be -worth twenty millions to me." - -"How do you mean?" she said eagerly, but she did not look at him. -Slade, triumphant in his brute power, inspired her with an emotion she -did not dare to show him yet. - -"Forscheim and Haggerty, the United Mining," he said, forgetting his -habitual caution in the now present desire to dazzle and overcome this -woman who had so resisted him, who had become so suddenly necessary to -him, "have laid their trap to get hold of the Osaba territory. They've -stripped Gilbert and old General Paxton of their holdings, and they were -sure they'd strip me. The Osaba gold fields will be one day worth -hundreds of millions--another Eldorado. Well, they'll get a third -interest tonight. I've got a third, and Striker and Benz. Mexican -United, who've fought them tooth and nail, have another third. Each now -has got to have what I've got or get out. I've got the control and when -I sell--" He ended with a laugh. "I've licked Forscheim before but it -will be nothing to this. They thought they had me down and they played -into my hands!" - -Suddenly he changed his tone as the memory came to him of Gunther -impassively waiting in his anteroom. - -"Now they'll see what I can do," he said savagely. "Gunther's the only -real man among them. I must have Gunther. With him I can do what I -want--construct, construct!" - -She rose, stopping him as he most wanted to continue. - -"You must go now," she said quietly; "I've already done what I -shouldn't." - -He stopped, infuriated at this check to his inclinations, for, beyond -his victory over the men he had fought, she still eluded him. - -"Did you care what happened to me--much?" he asked savagely. - -"Yes; I was surprised how much I cared," she said slowly, keeping her -eyes on his. - -There are certain strong, direct characters who are most vulnerable in -the moment of their greatest exaltation as the generality of men are -weakest in their defeats. She saw in his eyes how much she lacked to -his complete triumph and suddenly seized the opportunity by the -forelock. - -"Why are you afraid to marry?" she said vigorously. "You are a child; -you don't understand life. You don't know how to draw from it the -incitements it can give you. You wish to be a great figure and you -think you can remain an outcast." - -"What do you mean?" he said roughly, and advancing he took her by the -shoulders without her recoiling. - -"You want to be another Gunther," she said, meeting his glance with an -intensity of ambition greater than his, "and you wish to fight like a -guerrilla. You think you need no one, and you need admiration, -confidence, to be spurred on, flattered, cajoled, made to feel your -greatness, to have it dinned into your ears day and night, to be -surrounded by it. You have the vanity of a god and you don't know how -to feed it." - -"Well, what would you do?" he said, still holding her from him. - -"I would make you what you should be: a personage--not a wanderer," she -said with extraordinary energy. "I'd make your home a court; I'd show -you what it meant to step into your box at the opera and have the -feeling that every eye in the house turned to you. You want to do great -things--but you want to feel that you have done great things, that -others are impressed by them, envy and look up to you. You want that -stimulus and there is only one way to get it. Take your place in -society, where you belong among the great figures." - -"I find my own stimulus," he said, looking at her. - -"Listen, John Slade," she said furiously. "You think because you have -always done what you want with women that that will continue. It won't. -You are at a dangerous age. You have depended upon women; you cannot -shake it off. The day will come when you'll be caught as every man is -who plays beyond his youth and strength. Women will either hinder you -or push you on. Make up your mind now. Which do you want?" - -"I want you!" he said, suddenly caught by her words that came as an -answer to his new view of himself; and violently, characteristically, he -added, enfolding her: "And when I want a thing, I want it now! Get your -wraps on. We're going over to Jersey now and get married." - -"No, no," she said firmly though her heart was beating so that she -thought he must hear it. - -"You've got me. I never expected it, but I've got to have you," he said -and brutally, without thinking whether he hurt her or not, he forced her -head up to his. She did not resist, intoxicated, carried away by her -absolute helplessness in his arms. Then, confident, he renewed his -demand that they should be married that night, at once. - -"No, no," she said, disengaging herself, and though all her natural -being responded to his demand, her intellectual self conquered, knowing -full well that beyond winning him, she must always maintain over him a -certain moral superiority. "No. To do what I want to do, we must not -give any one the slightest occasion to talk. Such an act as this would -be suicidal." - -"When then?" he said furiously. - -"Announce our engagement tomorrow," she said, "and in a week we can be -married very quietly." - -"A week!" he cried indignantly. - -"Or less," she said, smiling; "and now you must go." - -"You haven't said, 'I love you,'" he said with a last flash of -antagonistic suspicion. - -"When I say it you will be satisfied," she said, with a look that -revealed to him a new, undiscovered world. - -"Rita," he persisted doggedly, seizing her wrist, "I know what you can -do, what you'll make of us, but that's not all. I don't want any -cold-blooded reason-and-logic marriage. Look here. You've got to love -me--like hell--do you understand?" - -She turned on him swiftly, opening her lips until her white teeth showed -in their tense grip. Then, suddenly veiling her emotion in a relaxing -smile, she said, as she rang for Henriette: - -"No woman could find it hard to love you, John Slade." - -When he had left she remained standing a long while very thoughtfully. -Then she went quietly upstairs and fell almost immediately into a quiet, -profound sleep. Her own self-possession surprised her; but unusual -natures have this over common-place ones that they are continually -surprising themselves. - - - - - *CHAPTER XIX* - - -When the next day Beecher reached his club he found all discussions -centered upon John G. Slade and the astonishing and incomprehensible -outcome of the conference at Gunther's of which naturally only the usual -misinformation was known. The morning papers had contained a reassuring -statement, backed by powerful names, of the condition of the Associated -Trust, with promises of support. Gunther had publicly announced that he -would bring twenty millions of ready money to relieve the financial -stringency and, if that were not sufficient, twenty millions more. When -the man in the Street comprehended that the great fortunes of the -country had authorized this step, the effect was instantaneous. The -stock market opened with loss of two to three points and immediately -recovered this decline and, for the first time during the week, -registered distinct advances. The runs on the banks still continued, -but the lines of depositors were apparently less. At eleven o'clock -Rupert V. Steele visibly entered the offices of the Associated Trust -and, advancing to the deserted window of the cashier, made the first -deposit. In a minute it was publicly announced that five millions of -dollars had just been deposited to the credit of the great Columbus -National. Half of the waiting line, wavered, turned and went home. - -"Well, Slade's turned the trick," said Gunther, joining his friend. -"But how he managed to wriggle through is a mystery." - -"Haven't seen the papers," said Beecher. "What do they say about Emma -Fornez?" - -"Couldn't be better. The third act bowled 'em over," said Gunther, -laughing. Beecher had told him of the diva's prophecy. "By the way, -Ted, my long shot may not prove such a wild one. Mapleson is a close -friend of the Cheevers--rather attentive to the lady, who from all -accounts is a rather frisky one. I telephoned McKenna about it and he -seemed distinctly interested." - -"McKenna?" said Beecher, opening his eyes. - -"Well, yes," said Gunther, laughing; "but forget I told you. Besides, I -have a feeling that things will open up now." - -"Is McKenna on the trail of any one?" - -"Well, yes," said Gunther slowly; "and I don't think it'll be long now -before we hear of him. How about lunch?" - -At this moment a boy arrived with summons for Beecher to the telephone. -He did not recognize the voice immediately. - -"You don't know who it is?" said a woman. - -He thought he recognized the tones of Miss Rivers, whom he had -shamefully neglected in the excitement of the last days; but, warily, he -did not commit himself. - -"You're disguising your voice," he said cautiously. - -"Not at all. You are not very flattering--but when one listens so much -to the voice of Emma Fornez--" - -"Miss Charters," he said instantly. - -"At last." - -He was suddenly troubled at the discovery, for he had sincerely -persuaded himself that he did not intend to see her again. - -"She is going to reproach me," he thought uneasily, "for not returning -to see her last night. The devil! Well, I shall tell her the truth--I -didn't like her companion." - -But instead of reproaches she said in very good humor: - -"Look out, I can be very jealous. What are you doing tonight?" - -"I am dining out," he said, fibbing promptly, determined to remain firm. - -"Oh--I'm sorry," she said, with a quick dropping of her tone. "I wanted -you to take me to a dress rehearsal that will be very amusing." - -"I'm sorry too." - -"What are you doing this afternoon, around tea time?" - -"I have an engagement," he said truthfully. - -"With Emma Fornez?" - -"Yes." - -"I am not very lucky, am I?" she said. - -The wounded tone in her voice made him feel a bit ashamed. He saw that -she would not ask him again and relented a little. - -"Will you be in at four? I can drop in for a little chat then," he -said, amazed at his own yielding even as he spoke the words. - -"Come then. I want very much to see you," she answered but without -lightness. - -"Now I'm in it again!" he said ruefully as he left the telephone. "What -the deuce made me say I'd go. Just because I didn't want to hurt her--O -Lord! Steady, old boy, steady!" - -Outside the booth he found Gunther, an afternoon's paper in his hand, -scanning it with excitement on every feature. - -"I say, Ted, here's news indeed," he cried. "What do you think of that?" - -He pointed to the headline on the front page where the engagement of -John G. Slade to Mrs. Rita Kildair was announced in large type. The two -young men looked at each other in profound astonishment. - -"By Jove!" said Beecher, suddenly enlightened. "That's what was at the -bottom last night! Now I understand." In a moment he comprehended the -full measure of the agony of uncertainty she must have suffered at his -side in the returning automobile. "So that was her game after all!" - -"Now things'll begin to move," said Gunther eagerly. "If she really -knows who's the thief, as McKenna believes, the ring ought to be -returned in forty-eight hours." - -"Why?" - -"Because now that she is publicly engaged to Slade, any one who has been -trading on the knowledge of how she got the ring won't have a shred to -blackmail her with. You see it now becomes the engagement ring that -Slade gave her and she can move openly; and from what I've seen of her, -she'll lose no time. Ted, I'll prophesy in forty-eight hours we'll hear -something about that ring." - -"I believe you're right," said Beecher as they went into luncheon; and, -thinking of the curious conjunction of Mrs. Kildair's and Miss Charters' -prophecy as to the return of the ring, he said to himself unwillingly: -"If the ring is returned, does that mean that Mrs. Bloodgood took it?" - -A little after four he went to pay his call on Miss Charters and as he -had become accustomed to her perplexing change of moods, he wondered in -what temper she would receive him. She was in a Russian blouse of gray -corduroy relieved by a broad lace collar and fitted loosely to her -straight, lithe body by a belt at the waist, an effect of girlish -simplicity, very yielding and artless. - -She did not wait for him in the sitting-room but came out into the hall, -taking his hat and stick herself and leading the way. Once in the cosy -sitting-room she stopped, turning to face him and suddenly taking his -hands in hers. - -"Let me look at you," she said, drawing off and raising her eyes to his -thoughtfully, while her lips twisted a little into a most serious -sternness. - -"Little imp!" he thought grimly, prepared against her wiles and yet a -little startled at this figure of a young girl which so tantalizingly -confronted him. - -She saw at once, in the amused composure of his face, that she had been -mistaken in ascribing his absence to the pique of jealousy. What she -had on her lips she did not say, and suddenly alert at the realization -that her presence no longer troubled him she drew him toward the -fireplace, leading him to a great armchair. - -"There," she said, laughing, "you will see how we treat the prodigal -son. Sit down." She brought a cushion and insisted upon placing it -behind his back. "Don't get up. A scotch and soda? Sit still--I like -to mix it." - -She went to a table and presently came back with the tumbler, offering -it to him with a well simulated attitude of submission. When he took -it, she dropped a curtsey and going to the library table, returned with -a box of cigars and the matches. Continuing always the same game, -determined to force a laugh, she lit the match, holding it to him -between her rosy palms. - -"Is your lordship satisfied?" - -"I am." - -She lit a cigarette in turn and camping down on the bear rug, Eastern -fashion, puffed a ring of smoke in the direction of the fire. For a -moment neither spoke, she studying the embers, he enjoying this new side -to her and awaiting the next development. - -"I'm very unhappy," she said at last, without looking at him. - -"I'm sorry," he answered sympathetically. - -"I have had a great disappointment. I read that play of Hargrave's -again--there's nothing to it." - -"You surprise me." - -The fact was that Brockway, Stigler's stage director had torn it to -pieces. She continued, repeating what Brockway had said: - -"The trouble is, it's not actable. It's like all plays that read -well--I should have known it. There's no dramatic action. Then, it has -one great fault--all young writers have it--you see, every scene should -be a unit in itself, express one dramatic emotion, develop it, and -increase it; and Hargrave puts three or four emotions in the same -page--five or six," she continued indignantly. "It's all mixed -up--topsy-turvy--no actress could make an effect." (This had been its -chief merit two days before.) "It's very sad; I shall never find a -play." - -"You were very enthusiastic a few days ago," he said. - -"Was I?" she said resentfully. "You see, the trouble is, in reading you -imagine things that aren't there." - -"So Hargrave isn't a genius after all?" he asked. - -"He is very conceited--insufferably so," she said abruptly. "But you -don't understand--it's the disappointment to me--I shall never find a -play. Sometimes I feel like giving it all up. It's terrible--breaking -your heart day after day. Yes, sometimes I feel like never acting -again." - -"You are in a blue mood," he said cheerfully. - -"Everything has gone wrong," she said, pouting. "Even you have changed!" - -She looked at him with a look of a tired child, longing to climb into -his lap to be consoled. - -"How so?" he said, opening his eyes. - -"Teddy, have I offended you?" she asked gently, seeing that she could -not unbend him by playing upon his sympathy. - -"Not the least." - -She would have preferred any answer but this. - -"Why wouldn't you go with me tonight?" she said quickly. - -"Because I have another engagement," he said, instinctively glancing at -the clock. - -She saw the look, sprang up from the rug furiously, and leaping toward -the mantelpiece seized the offending clock and flung it across the room -in a tantrum. - -"Go to your Emma Fornez!" she said, stamping her foot. "If you are -going to sit here and measure the minutes, you can go!" - -He rose, startled at the passion of jealousy he had aroused. - -"I told you I had an engagement," he began. - -"Nonsense!" she burst out, still the prey of her anger. "You know very -well you can keep her waiting half an hour if you wish, and you know -very well that you can put off your engagement to-night--or is it with -her, always with her?" - -"I don't care to discuss my engagements," he said coldly, an emotion -which he was far from feeling, for the sudden wild-eyed fury into which -he had plunged her awoke in him something that thrilled him, as he had -been thrilled the day he had returned Mrs. Bloodgood to her home, at the -thought of what a consuming passion might be. - -"Why do you tag around with her?" she continued heedlessly. "I should -think you'd have more regard for your dignity--for what people -think--Emma Fornez--ah!" - -She stopped, pressing her handkerchief to her eyes and then, feeling he -had perceived it, she exclaimed: "If I cry it's because I am -disappointed--disillusionized--angry!" - -She turned her back and went quickly to the window where the little -Dresden clock lay shattered in a corner. She picked it up and looked at -it, swallowing her anger. Then, as he continued to keep the silence, -she came back, without looking at him, placed the clock on the -mantelpiece again and said coldly: - -"Well, it is time for you to go--not to keep her waiting." - -"Good-afternoon," he said with a bow, and left the apartment. - -When he reached the street, he was overcome with surprise. - -"By Jove!" he said, swinging joyfully along. "Is it possible after all -that she does care about me? How her eyes blazed--the little fury. -That at least wasn't acting!" - -And though he remained until late, amused at Emma Fornez, he felt the -flame of the other presence about him, obtruding itself at every moment; -and he who had seen the play of strong emotions in Mrs. Bloodgood and -Mrs. Kildair, avidly began to feel what it would mean to be loved with -such intensity. - -Emma Fornez questioned him about Miss Charters but for the first time he -resolutely concealed from her what had taken place. - -That night on his return to his rooms, he found a short note from Bruce -Gunther: - - -DEAR TED, - -Be at McKenna's offices to-morrow--ten sharp. Something doing. - -B. - -P.S. Keep this to yourself--_savez_? - - - - - *CHAPTER XX* - - -DEAR TEDDY, - -I am very much ashamed at what happened yesterday. Please forgive my -ill-humor and some day, when you have a spare hour, do come to see me. - -Very cordially your friend, - NAN CHARTERS. - - -This note was the first which Beecher read on awakening the next -morning. He had slept by fits and starts, troubled by the memory of his -last interview with the young actress. The sudden unchecked tempest of -jealousy and anger which had revealed to him the dramatic intensity of -the woman had made a more haunting impression on his imagination than -all her premeditated appeals. - -"If after all she does love me? How tremendous it would be," he had -said to himself a dozen times, turning restlessly, in the half stupor of -waking sleep. - -He lived over again the scene--only this time it seemed to him that when -she had flung the clock from her in a passion, he had laughed joyfully -and caught her struggling in his arms, exulting in this rage which -burned so close to him. His first impulse on reading her note was to -telephone her immediately, but he resisted this movement, saying to -himself that that would be surrendering all his advantage. - -"I'll call up later," he thought with a smile; "that will be much -better." - -He went eagerly down to McKenna's office, wondering what surprise was in -store. Gunther and McKenna were already in the latter's private office, -as he entered, and with the first look he took at the detective's -smiling countenance, he perceived that he must be on the track of -something significant. - -"We were discussing Mrs. Kildair's engagement," said Gunther. "McKenna -agrees with me that it will expedite matters wonderfully." - -"How did Slade manage it?" said Beecher at once. - -The detective, without answering, went to his desk and picked up a -square of cardboard on which he had pasted two clippings from the -newspapers, one the announcement signed by Gunther, Sr., Marx and -Fontaine, giving notice of their support of the Associated Trust, and -the other the bare announcement of the prospective marriage of John G. -Slade and Mrs. Rita Kildair. - -"I am going to preserve this and hang it up over my mantelpiece," he -said, looking at it thoughtfully, "and when I have an idle hour, I'll -stretch out, smoke up and study it. A couple of million people must -have seen that--and that's all they'll ever know." - -"And you?" - -"I can only--deduce," he said, a twinkle in his eye. He glanced at the -clock and said hurriedly: "Now we must get down to business. I am -expecting some one in half an hour who ought to particularly interest -you." - -"You know who took the ring!" said Beecher instantly. - -"I know several things," said McKenna briskly; "but everything in place. -I promised you gentlemen, as you are interested in those things, a -little history of the party that was at Mrs. Kildair's that night. It's -nothing as literary style goes--just facts. Here it is. I'll skip the -personal descriptions." - -He took up a bundle of notes, seated himself on the corner of the flat -desk, and began to read: - -"Cheever, Stanley: Age 48; married; old New York family; left a fortune -estimated at $425,000, at the death of his father, Ganet Cheever, when -he was twenty-eight. Lived ten years abroad, principally London; -inveterate gambler; lost heavily at Monte Carlo--sum estimated at -$125,000; later became involved in a gambling scandal in England, but it -was hushed up by his payment of a large sum to cover notes given. -Continued to lose heavily at St. Petersburg, Baden and Paris; began -borrowing large sums, meeting obligations with difficulty. Declared -bankruptcy in Colorado, where he had gone to promote a mine; his -statements contested by creditors who brought suit; contest settled out -of court by payment by his relatives to avoid a family scandal. Returned -to New York and engaged himself as an exploiter of well-known wine -merchants. Married three years ago Lydia Borgen, daughter of a large -importing grocer, who brought him $100,000. Lives at rate of $20,000 a -year. Only known occupation gambling; said to have won fifty-five -thousand dollars in three nights' play from Kane Wentworth and Thomas -Haggerty, Jr.,--protested but paid. Method of play has occasioned -numerous reports to his discredit. Accused operating a system of -private signals with his wife, by Mrs. Elmer Jardine after scene at -card-table; brought suit for libel against her and received $12,000 -damages out of court to compromise it. Is not received in home of -father-in-law. Cut off by mother's will. Frequently quarrels with his -wife over the attentions of other men. Known to have applied -unsuccessfully at several banks within the last month to raise loans. -Heavily speculated on long side of recent market, purchasing large block -of stocks, margined, on morning after theft of ring, and said to be -heavily involved. Sought aid of wife's relatives day before yesterday; -refused. - -"Cheever, Mrs. Lydia: Born Lydia Borgen, daughter Harris Borgen, German -immigrant, who married Lydia Foley, waitress in Pearl Street restaurant. -Father made fortune in grocery business, establishing with brother in -South America a large importing office dealing in cocoa, coffee, and -fruit. At death of uncle, Lydia became heir to $100,000. Father said -to be worth three quarters of a million, but estranged from daughter, -whose marriage he opposed. As a young girl Lydia, rebellious and wild, -constantly involved in escapades, notably with an actor, James Rocker, -with whom she attempted to elope and go on the stage. Kept under strict -surveillance, but at age of seventeen ran off with Charles Bourgoyne, -young English groom at Waltby's riding academy. Pursued and arrested -just as about to be married in New Jersey. Bourgoyne arrested for -abduction but later paid to leave country. Married at nineteen to -Stanley Cheever, through mediation of mother and a Mrs. Dorgan, -notorious marriage broker. Has become tool of husband in schemes of -raising money while leading a separate existence. Keeps private bank -account unknown to husband. Very extravagant in personal expenses which -cannot be accounted for on known income. From beginning of married life -has been conspicuous for her relations with other men, generally wealthy -bachelors, who have subsequently lost money at cards: names best known, -Edward Fontaine, Reginald Forrest, Thomas Haggerty, Jr. At present seen -frequently with R. G. Mapleson of firm of Sontag & Co.--" - -"Mapleson!" said the two young men in a breath. - -"I know what you mean," said McKenna, raising his hand. "Wait till I -get through"; and he continued to read in his matter-of-fact, -unemotional voice these pages of hard, glaring facts that left his -hearers straining forward to catch every word: - -"At present deeply involved in affair with E. V. Garraboy. Seems to -have been introduced to the broker at desire of husband, to obtain -through this channel information which his sister, Mrs. Enos Bloodgood, -may have acquired from B. L. Majendie of financial affairs in general -and particularly Atlantic Trust. Acquaintance developed into violent -passion for Garraboy by Mrs. Cheever; has met him frequently of late, -twice having been followed to his apartments. Of late, scenes with -husband have been increasing in violence, coupled with mutual -threats--believe rupture possible. - -"_Item_: Bills against Mrs. Cheever known to be outstanding include -$13,800 to Sontag & Co., for jewels; $1,200 to Madame Cortin for hats, -etc.; $8,300 to Friegel Bros., robes. - -"_Item_: The $100,000 she inherited, stands in her own name, but is -believed to be now reduced to $75,000. Morning after theft of ring, -sold short through Garraboy, her broker, 5,000 shares Union Pacific. -For further details, see Garraboy. - -"Charming little domestic circle, eh?" said McKenna, laying down the -sheet. "Now for another: - -"Bloodgood, Enos R.: Owner New York _Daily Star_; large holder of real -estate in lower New York; director Metropolitan Opera; brought up, at -death of his parents, by his grandfather, Joseph Bloodgood, president of -the Northwestern Railroad, as his prospective heir. At age of 20, -despite threats of his guardian, left college and married Charlotte -Granby, daughter of his tutor. Promptly disinherited. Went to work as a -clerk in Brooklyn drygoods store, living on twenty-five dollars a week, -refusing all overtures from grandfather, who offered to forgive him on -condition of separation from his wife, allowing her $20,000. Refused -and lived in that condition for five years until her death, brought on -by privations. Reconciled with grandfather and sent abroad for a -journey through Europe. Two years later became violently infatuated -with a Spanish singer of the Cafe Chantants and went with her on a trip -to South America, again defying his guardian. At the end of a year, -affair ended by a secret payment made by his grandfather to the woman to -procure her desertion. Followed her and engaged in duel with her -companion, from whom he received serious wounds. After recovery, -returned to Paris, where he again became entangled in violent -infatuations. On point of marrying an Austrian countess of doubtful -history, fell ill with pneumonia and almost died. Returned to New York -and became reconciled with grandfather. Seemed to turn over new leaf; -entered journalism and made good record for steadiness and conservatism, -leading exemplary life. Grandfather, in his will, however, contrary to -expectations, cut him off with $20,000. Two months later, married Mrs. -Georgiana Wakeman, fifteen years his senior, fortune estimated at ten -millions, widow of former owner of N. Y. _Star_, which then passed under -his control. Next ten years remarkable for his strict application to -business and the dissoluteness of his private life. Mixed up in several -promoting schemes with various success. At death of second wife, -received bulk of fortune. Remained widower three years, greatly -increasing fortune at period of Trust consolidations. Married third -wife, Elise Garraboy, noted Southern beauty, no fortune. Union unhappy -after first months; returned to his old habits. Three months ago forced -to pay $15,000 to prevent blackmailing suit on part of a Miss Edna Rusk, -chorus girl. Plunged heavily on short side of late market in a pool -formed to bear market; reputed to have made immense gains. - -"_Item_: Has been in confidential relations with Miss Maud Lille for -some time. Visited her early morning, after theft of ring." - -"That's queer," said Gunther, startled at this final detail. "Did -Bloodgood do anything in the market that day?" - -"Sold right and left," said McKenna, exchanging papers. - -Beecher, more impressionable than his companion, said nothing, overcome -by the bare recital of this brutal, materialistic life that once had -been young and stirred to unbelievable sacrifice. - -"Bloodgood, Mrs. Enos: Born Elise Garraboy; sister of Edward Garraboy; -old Southern family, New Orleans; father Colonel Marston Garraboy; died -when children were little. Mother married Boyd Hallowel, Englishman, -third son Lord Carmody, came to live in New York. Hallowel died ten -years later, leaving her with small income but social connections. -Elise educated at convent; made debut in society at age of eighteen; -great beauty; numerous suitors; engaged in second season to Enos -Bloodgood; engagement broken; married a year later. Story current, -forced into it to save mother from bankruptcy. Left husband twice in -first two years, but persuaded to return by mother. Met Bernard L. -Majendie eight months ago at Palm Beach. Infatuation no secret; -understood that two weeks before panic had placed her interests in hands -of lawyers, who procured evidence for divorce; action halted -temporarily. Night of party at Mrs. Kildair's, trunks packed for -journey, tickets purchased at Grand Central to Montreal. Day after, -made no investments in Wall Street. Following day, left home with -trunks and returned shortly after suicide. Violent scenes with husband. -Shut herself up in room for hours. That night went to home of Majendie, -company with--" - -Suddenly McKenna stopped at a violent movement of surprise from Beecher, -and said quickly, "--a woman and a young man. Said to be totally -without funds; husband reputed to allow her only $120 a month -pocket-money. That's all." - -Gunther had been quick to see the agitation of his companion but, since -he comprehended that whatever the part he had played Beecher wished to -keep it in confidence, he pretended to have understood nothing. - -"Then there is no trace of Mrs. Bloodgood's having gone into the -market?" he said. - -"None," replied McKenna. "There are other details, but they come better -under head of the brother." - -He shuffled the remaining sheets and then, as though divining the unease -of Beecher, he said in a matter-of-fact tone: - -"Here's the history of Miss Nan Charters; but as it gives us nothing -important we don't know, I'll leave it out. Particularly as we're short -of time. However, I'll say this--there is no record of any stock -transactions except that which we know of already. The next is Miss -Maud Lille, a curious character, too." - -Beecher drew a long breath and relaxed in his chair, grateful to McKenna -for his consideration. - -"Lille, Maud," said the detective, reading. "Real name Margaret Case; -daughter Rev. Hiram Case and Fanny Saunders, Zanesville, Ohio; left home -at age of sixteen; studied one year to be trained nurse; left hospital -and studied stenography; later joined traveling circus, business -department; became press agent. Stranded in northern Arizona; earned -living by writing for local newspapers under name Jane Anderson; went to -San Francisco and from there to Honolulu, supporting herself by her -writings, occasionally taking regular position as stenographer. In -Hawaii met and married an eastern adventurer known under name of Edward -Bracken; returned with him to San Francisco, where couple engaged in -mining speculations. Husband pursued for fraud and fled; wife arrested -but released. Went to Chicago after securing divorce and changed name -to Maud Lille. Sent to Cripple Creek by Chicago _World_ and made a hit -by her graphic accounts of labor conditions. Married Patrick O'Fallon, -wealthy mine owner. Went with him for trip in Europe but apparently -dissatisfied with life left him and returned to newspaper work, -establishing herself in New York. Not divorced. Under own name author -of several successful novels; prefers Bohemian existence of journalist -evidently, reporting prize-fights, political conventions, murder trials, -etc. Attached to staff of New York _Star_ and apparently much in -confidence of owner. Lately much interested in stock market. On morning -after theft met E. V. Garraboy at Levere's restaurant, near home, before -breakfast; returned to her apartment and saw Enos Bloodgood two hours -later. Reported sold short 500 shares Union Pacific." - -"By Jove," exclaimed Beecher as Gunther rose excitedly to his feet, -"you've got it!" - -"Maud Lille took it first and transferred it to Garraboy," said Gunther, -then he stopped, puzzled; "but Bloodgood--that's incredible!" - -"Hold in your horses," said McKenna, shaking his head with silent -laughter, delighted, in fact, that they had fallen into his trap. -"There's one more little history to read." He hesitated and then said: -"Now, I don't want to play up to a little tin god on wheels, though -that's easy enough. I'll say this, that a good deal of the information -I am reading you I have had in hand. The gentleman whose bright little -history I am going to read you, I have had my eyes on for some time. -That'll develop. - -"Garraboy, Edward V.: Sent to military training school; expelled; went -up north, boarding-school; expelled; tutored for college and went to -Harvard; ran up debts to extent of over a thousand dollars in two -months, signing promissory notes. Paid by stepfather, who withdrew him -at the request of college authorities; cut off by family and sent to -Chicago with four hundred dollars to enter business house. Instead, -speculated in wheat market and said to have made a little money. Went -to Denver with small capital and posed as son of wealthy parents. Made -acquaintance of a family called Sanderson and shortly became engaged to -daughter, heiress to considerable fortune. Engagement broken as result -of investigations. Left Denver, leaving behind a number of debts and -bad checks. Next, heard of in southern California, working in mine; got -in shooting affray over daughter of Mexican and went into British -Columbia. Used many names. Spent a year in small stock companies -playing little roles; made a lucky gamble in silver mine and went to San -Francisco, living high. Went to Seattle; became engaged to a widow of -large real estate manipulator; persuaded her to invest her money in land -exploitation scheme in southern California which proved failure. Ran -away from Seattle and went to Hawaii to sell imitation jewelry under -name of Edward--" - -"Bracken!" exclaimed the two young men in one breath. - -"Exactly." - -"Married to Maud Lille!" cried Gunther, the first to recover his -astonishment. "Why, the little toad! How the deuce did these women -fall for him?" - -"Oh, that's a question by itself, Mr. Gunther," said McKenna, smiling. -"It's a good deal in studying what you're dealing with, and Garraboy -watched them pretty close. Let me finish. - -"Came to San Francisco, as you know; fled to escape pursuit; changing -name, shipped as clerk on a merchantman from New Orleans. Next known of -him, returned from the Far East under own name with apparently a certain -amount of money. On hearing marriage of his sister, came to New York -and established himself in Wall Street, largely through the aid of -Bloodgood, over whose head evidently has held some threat. Met Maud -Lille and probably came to some understanding with her; has paid her -money from time to time. Encouraged sister's infatuation for Majendie, -whom sought to enlist in scheme for rice production in South; failed. -Made money rapidly until three months ago, when several ventures failed -and became involved. Secured personal loan of $10,000 from Majendie -without knowledge of sister. Has lived at rate of $40,000 a year, -running several establishments; said to have given $15,000 worth of -jewelry to Mlle. Clo. D'Aresco, the dancer, on her last visit here. -Made immense short sales in recent market and was on verge of failure -when panic saved him. Has profited by infatuation of Mrs. Cheever to -borrow large sums in last week. On day after theft sold steadily all -day; under suspicions by his own clients and on verge of arrest, when -drop in stocks turned tide in his favor. Reputed to have covered his -losses and made $100,000 in last three days." - -"You were on his track then!" exclaimed Beecher, suddenly enlightened. - -"I was and I am," said McKenna; "and in less than twenty-four hours I'll -shake down that frisky gentleman for about forty-five thousand dollars -that he has been speculating with. Four days ago I couldn't have -collected forty-five cents. That's why I held off." - -"Good Lord!" said Beecher, suddenly remembering. "I say, McKenna, Miss -Charters' money is tied up with him. You don't suppose--by Jove, I hope -nothing's wrong!" - -"You give me the amount," said McKenna with a click of his teeth. "I'll -get it. He knows, I guess, by this time what a pretty little story it -would make in the morning papers. He won't resist--not he!" - -"Look here," said Beecher excitedly, putting his hand to his pocketbook. -"By Jove, that's lucky. I've still got that order. I can telephone her -now--" - -"Telephone nothing," said McKenna, reaching out his hand. "I don't need -that order, except as a reference. Just keep it quiet. The young lady -won't thank you less for your saving her without her knowledge, will -she?" - -"No," said Beecher, flurried. "Here's the order. When'll you get at -Garraboy?" - -"In about ten minutes," said McKenna, reaching over for a fresh cigar. - -"Here?" - -"Right here." - -"And the ring?" asked Gunther quickly. - -"What do you think?" said McKenna, his little eyes snapping through the -blaze of the match as he lighted his cigar. - -"I think it lies between Mrs. Cheever, Miss Lille and Garraboy," said -Gunther; "either woman took it and either passed it to Garraboy at the -table--" - -"Well?" said McKenna, as Gunther hesitated. - -"Or Garraboy took it first and passed it to one of them." - -"Why?" - -"For fear that he or she had been seen taking it the first time--to -cover up the tracks. Whoever may have seen the ring taken would believe -the original thief had restored it and kept quiet." - -"That's ingenious, and I must say it may prove to have some bearing," -said McKenna. "It's likewise possible. But you gentlemen have missed -the whole point of what I've been reading you." - -"In what way?" - -"There's not one bit of evidence who took the ring," said McKenna, with -a gesture at the recording sheets. "It shows who might have taken -it--that's true. Now, what it shows is this--what was working in every -one's mind the night of that party. You remember that it was on the -night before Majendie's failure, and that the whole question of the -panic hung on whether he was going to pull through or not. Now, of -every one who was there, with the exception of Miss Charters, Mrs. -Bloodgood and Mr. Beecher here, every one was in Wall Street up to their -necks, and if they knew what had happened to Majendie they could call -the turn. Now, what happened? Bloodgood was getting his information -from Maud Lille, who got it from Garraboy, who easy enough could get it -from his sister, not out of treachery, but unconsciously, you may be -sure. Well, all these three got the straight tip. That's what the -meeting next morning was about. Bloodgood never took the ring; that -would be ridiculous; and Maud Lille, whatever her record for drifting, -is not a crook. So those meetings were on the question of speculation, -pure and simple. - -"Now, Mrs. Cheever got the news straight and Mr. Cheever didn't, though -he depended on his wife working Garraboy. Cheever bought stocks and was -caught. That likewise shows there may be some interesting developments -in that charming little family, particularly when he finds out that Mrs. -Cheever sold and won. Now, what have we to go on? Cheever's a -crook--but if he took it, he did it alone. - -"Garraboy's a crook and, following Mr. Gunther's theory, he could have -taken it alone or working with Mrs. Cheever. If there was any -collusion, it was there. Gentlemen, I am only discussing -possibilities." - -"If the ring was taken to raise money to gamble in Wall Street, then it -lies between Cheever and Garraboy," said Gunther. - -"Say it this way: if Mrs. Cheever or Miss Lille took it, Garraboy would -probably know--" - -"And Slade?" said Beecher. - -"If Slade took it, we're losing our time. Aren't we?" said McKenna. - -"McKenna, do you know?" said Gunther suddenly. - -"Unless I am very much mistaken, I'll know in twenty-four hours," said -McKenna, "I know this--who has the ring and when he had it, and this -evening, about 5:30 in the afternoon, I ought to know from the gentleman -in question, who pawned it--unless I learn sooner." - -"Unless Garraboy confesses," said Beecher. - -"Gentlemen," said McKenna, answering with a nod an assistant who opened -the door at this moment, "I'm not given to boasting, but I'll risk -this." He went to the desk, wrote a name on a card, sealed it in an -envelope and handed it to Beecher. "That's the name of the person who -took the ring. Keep it until it is found. That sounds like Sherlock -Holmes, but there's one reason why I feel like being a little stagey; -and I don't mind admitting to you that I got to it by deduction--honest -deduction, though!" - -"Why've you Garraboy here, then?" said Beecher, while the letter in his -pocket seemed to radiate heat like an ember. - -"Do you want to know?--you'll be surprised," said McKenna, going to the -desk again. "Well, it's to convince myself that Garraboy had nothing to -do with it." - -"What!" exclaimed the two. - -McKenna made them a signal to be silent and, taking up the loose sheets -of the different records, started to place them in the drawer; but all -at once he stopped, selected one, the record of the broker himself, and -laid it face up on the table. The next moment the door opened and -Garraboy came warily into the room. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXI* - - -At the sight of Beecher and Gunther, Garraboy stopped short, evidently -nonplused. - -"I was told to come in," he said, lifting his eyebrows. - -"Quite right," said McKenna briskly, raising his voice a trifle. From -the moment of the broker's entrance his eyes fastened on Garraboy, never -leaving him. "Come right in." - -"I'm interrupting--" said Garraboy carefully, conscious of this set -gaze. - -"Not in the least." - -"I thought our business was confidential, McKenna," he said, without -having moved from the position he had taken on entering. "I fail to -see--" he stopped and looked again at the two young men. - -"Oh, Mr. Beecher and Gunther," said McKenna affably; "suppose we call -them attorneys for one of your clients." - -"Miss Charters?" - -"You're a good guesser, Mr. Garraboy." - -The broker drew in his upper lip and, coming slowly forward, said: - -"The presence of these gentlemen is exceedingly distasteful to me." - -"You're not in a position to object, Mr. Garraboy." - -Garraboy turned his back and walked slowly back and forth, evidently in -distressed conjecture, occasionally raising his head to shoot a glance -at the three, half in rage, half in fear. - -All at once he stopped by the desk as though his mind had come to a -certain decision, and, bearing heavily on it, said: - -"I do not know that I care, under the circumstances, to enter into any -discussion. You, Mr. McKenna, represent my client, Mrs. Alva White; -your claim against me is for forty-five thousand eight hundred and -forty-six dollars." He drew out his pocketbook. "I have here a check -made to your order." A second time he plunged his hand into his pocket -and brought out a check-book. "I was not notified that Miss Charters' -was also under discussion. However, I will settle that at once. To -whose order, please?" - -McKenna, without answering, indicated himself with a jerk of his finger. - -Garraboy, seating himself at the desk, took up a pen and carefully -filled in the check, blotted it and handed the two drafts to McKenna, -who took them, endorsed them and, ringing, handed them to an assistant: - -"Present these at once. Telephone me as soon as they are honored." - -Garraboy carefully blotted the check-book in turn, replaced it in his -pocket, and was thrusting back his chair from the desk when McKenna, -turning on him sharply, said: - -"Garraboy, you stole that ring of Mrs. Kildair's." - -The broker, startled, jerked up his head. - -"So that's the meaning of all this!" he said angrily. - -"Answer my question!" - -But this time Garraboy, without wincing, rose suddenly to his feet. - -"McKenna, I have nothing more to say to you," he said, scowling, "on -this or any other question. Your claims are satisfied. I recognize no -further right of you to insult me." - -"Don't move, Mr. Garraboy," said McKenna softly; "we've a lot of -business still to talk over." - -"Are you trying to blackmail me?" said Garraboy furiously, folding his -arms. - -"Garraboy, I've got the goods on you and there may be a paper or two in -my pocket you wouldn't care to have served," said McKenna, the pupils of -his eyes seeming to dwindle to a point as the whites showed under a -well-simulated show of anger. "First place, you're going to sit here -until I get a telephone those checks are cashed. Second, and this may -surprise you, you're going to stick right by me--today and tonight, -until you make up your mind whether you'll answer me or answer a court -of justice. Third, before we get through here, I want your name at the -bottom of a little document I've drawn up for you." - -"What do you mean?" said Garraboy, but with a note of apprehension in -his voice. - -"A plain, honest recital of what you've been doing with other folks' -property these last two months--" - -"You said--" fairly screamed the broker. - -"I said if you settled my claims I wouldn't prosecute--true, and I -won't. But just the same you're getting out of business here in New -York, and I'm going to hold a paper that'll keep you out." - -"Never!" exclaimed Garraboy in desperation. "Every cent I owe will be -settled in twenty-four hours. I'll close up every account--I'll agree -to that--but I'll not be blackmailed into this. You haven't a charge -against me that'll stand in any court in this country--" - -"What about that ring?" said McKenna. "You were trying all over town to -raise fifteen thousand dollars that day. Garraboy, you stole that ring, -pawned it, and raised the money to hold off your loans." - -"That's a lie!" he said, clenching his fists. "I got it--" - -"Where?" - -"None of your business." - -"Where did you get the money to pay your interest and to put up the new -margins you did?" - -"I was acting for others." - -"What others?" - -Garraboy opened his mouth to reply and then suddenly stopped. - -McKenna said immediately: - -"No, you won't say what others, because if you do claim you sold for -others, here before witnesses, you know you'll restore a good deal more -money than you figured out to disgorge. Oh, you're clever all right. -Answer me--did you steal that ring?" - -"I did not," said Garraboy suddenly; "and I don't know anything more -about it than Beecher here--in fact, considerably less." He looked over -with a sneer on his lips and then quickly and firmly exclaimed: -"McKenna, my mind's made up. I'm going out that door--now. If you -attempt to prevent me, I'll hold Mr. Beecher and Mr. Gunther here as -witnesses that you kept me here by force. And I'll have you up on--" - -All at once he seemed to choke on a word as his eyes, following the -movement of the fist that struck the table, came suddenly in contact -with the upturned sheet entitled: - - "GARRABOY, EDWARD V." - - -The sight seemed to paralyze every muscle of his body. He sat down -abruptly, drawing the document under his eye. - -"Take your time, Bracken, read it over carefully," said McKenna in a -soothing voice. He retired to the fireplace and relaxed into the easy -chair awaiting the moment. - -Garraboy read hastily, fairly galloping through the pages. Then he -stiffened in his chair, frowned and read carefully through it all again, -considering each phrase. - -At the last, the three who watched him saw him push the paper from him, -lock his hands in front of him and stare at McKenna. The correct, -insolent man of the world had faded; instead, before them, bare to the -bone, was the rascal, the desperate, clever adventurer. Suddenly making -a quick resolve, he said in a tone that surprised them for its absence -of emotion: - -"Give me the paper I'm to sign." - -McKenna jumped up and going to a shelf took down an affidavit. - -"It is always a pleasure to deal with profession," he said genially, -placing the document on the table. "Oh, read it first." - -Garraboy skimmed through it hastily, nodding. He took up his pen and -paused. - -"It's understood that the contents will never be made public, directly -or indirectly, so long as I keep out of the United States?" - -"Understood." - -"Your word of honor on it as a gentleman, McKenna?" - -"My word." - -"And yours, too, Mr. Beecher, Mr. Gunther?" - -Each repeated the promise in turn. - -Garraboy signed the confession and handed it to McKenna. - -"What now?" - -"You will, of course, wind up your business immediately." - -"I will telephone for my clerk to bring my books here at once for your -inspection. I will draw the necessary checks and have them deposited to -the credit of my clients this afternoon. One of your men can personally -assure himself that everything is right. Will that satisfy you?" - -"Couldn't have proposed anything more practical," said McKenna, nodding. - -"What next?" - -"Clean up that matter of the ring." - -Garraboy rose impatiently, - -"I haven't got the ring." - -"I don't believe you." - -"Are you going to keep me under surveillance?" - -"I am." - -"Until when?" - -"Until the ring is returned." - -"McKenna," said Garraboy desperately, "I think I've satisfied you. I'm -not standing on technicalities. You've got me cold. I know it. Now, -I'll tell you just how I stand. When everything is paid up, I stand -pretty nearly $200,000 to the good. I'm going to get out--go abroad and -stay there, and I want to catch the first boat out. If I had that ring, -I'd throw it over, quick. That's straight goods." - -"Garraboy, did you steal that ring?" said McKenna again. - -"I did not." He took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped away the -perspiration which stood on his forehead. - -"Did you ever see before the detective, John Ryan, whom Mrs. Kildair -called in?" - -Garraboy hesitated. - -"Did you?" - -"Yes." - -"Employed him?" - -"Yes." - -"Many times?" - -"Several." - -"And you recommended him to Mrs. Kildair?" - -"Yes." - -"So you knew whom she would call in?" - -"No, I didn't think of that." - -"Garraboy, didn't you take the ring knowing that Ryan would be called in -and that he would never make a search of you?" - -"I did not." - -"Do you know who took it?" - -"No." - -"That's sufficient," said McKenna, apparently satisfied. - -"What are you going to do?" asked Garraboy nervously. - -"Keep you on a rope until the ring turns up. - -"I want to get away," said Garraboy weakly. - -"I know that." - -The broker remained quiet a moment, turning a pencil with his moist -fingers. - -"Will you answer one question?" he said at last. - -"What?" - -"Does Mrs. Kildair know--are you acting for her?" - -"Mrs. Kildair does not know what I'm doing," said McKenna quietly. - -Garraboy rose with what seemed a little relief, a movement that McKenna -was quick to note. - -"Well, I've made up my mind to tell you what I know," he said, after a -few nervous steps. - -"Good." - -"I haven't got the ring," he said carefully. - -"Did you take it?" - -"I did not take it," said Garraboy, looking steadily in McKenna's eyes. - -"But you know?" - -"Yes, in a way I know," he said firmly. "A woman took it." - -"How do you know?" - -Garraboy did not answer immediately. He seemed reluctant to continue, -frowning and moving restlessly from foot to foot. Finally he blurted -out: - -"I don't know who took it first, but this is what happened--the God's -truth. When Mrs. Kildair put out the lights and counted sixty-one, I -heard the ring on the table." He hesitated a moment and said hurriedly: -"I made up my mind to give them all a shock. I did not intend to keep -the ring; I swear it. I put out my hand to take it--and I touched -another hand--the hand of a woman." - -"Who took it?" - -"Yes." - -"Was that woman Mrs. Cheever, or Miss Lille?" said McKenna quickly. - -"I don't know." - -"You don't know." - -"No." - -"You have no idea?" - -"No." - -"No suspicion?" - -"No." - -"You were told nothing afterward?" - -"Nothing." - -"Garraboy, it's just possible you're not lying," said McKenna with a -frown; "though I'm not sure by a long shot. However, I'll know the -truth before the sun goes down." - -"How?" said Garraboy, looking up. - -"I neglected to tell you," said McKenna, watching him, "that I know whom -the ring was pawned with, and this evening the gentleman himself will -tell me who pawned it. The time I keep you depends a good deal on what -he says." - -"Then, this evening I will be free," said Garraboy joyfully, with such -evident confidence that both young men were struck by it and McKenna, a -little disturbed in his theory, continued staring at the face of -Garraboy, which was illumined with a slight, malicious smile. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXII* - - -Half an hour later Gunther and Beecher, leaving McKenna's office with a -promise to return that evening, went up town. In Beecher's pocket was a -check on McKenna representing the amount of Miss Charters' account. -Garraboy remained in the custody of the detective. - -"Well, what do you think of it?" said Gunther. - -"I think Garraboy lied," said Beecher. - -"Oh, about the reason he tried to take the ring--yes, naturally. He -could make a plausible reason for that--you'd hardly expect him to say -in so many words that he was a thief, if he really didn't get the ring, -as he says." - -"I think he cooked up the lie right there," said Beecher obstinately. -"I don't believe a word of it." - -"I don't know--I sort of think he told the truth." - -"Do you think any woman would have the nerve to go on after she had felt -a hand on hers and knew that some one had a clue, not absolutely -definite but almost so?" - -"But, Ted, if any one denounced her, wouldn't he have to acknowledge the -fact of his own motive? That would be enough to shut any one up." - -"I think Garraboy lied," persisted Beecher. "I think he had a part in -the theft and at least I am sure he knows all about it." - -"Listen to reason," said Gunther warmly. "If Garraboy signed a -confession like McKenna handed him, he wouldn't stop at returning a -ring--particularly when he knows that McKenna will keep hold of him till -the affair is closed up. No, no; Garraboy says he's cleared -$200,000--you may be sure he's got considerably more. He's satisfied. -He wants to get away from here quick. McKenna's not the only one on his -track, you may be sure of that. No, it doesn't stand to reason he'd -balk at a little matter like the ring." - -Beecher was silent, digesting the argument. - -"There may be one explanation," he said at length. "You noticed that the -fellow was particularly anxious to know if Mrs. Kildair was behind us?" - -"Yes, I noticed all that." - -"Now McKenna thinks, and I do too, that Mrs. Kildair all along has known -who took the ring and has only been held up before this from prosecuting -on account of a possible scandal." - -"But, that's over now--nothing can be said--it was an engagement ring, -of course." - -"Exactly; and that's the reason why I'm going to make this guess--that -Garraboy, knowing the game was up, returned the ring this morning." - -"By George!" - -"And that's the reason he told the lie he did--knowing that everything -will blow over in twenty-four hours." - -"Ted, by the Lord Harry, I believe you've hit it!" said Gunther -excitedly. "I say--" - -"What?" - -"Let's go up to your rooms--there may be a letter from Mrs. Kildair." - -Full of eagerness they went to Beecher's rooms--only to return -empty-handed and disappointed. Then they hurried to the club and -searched the letter-boxes without success. - -Disappointed and impatient they went in to a late lunch. - -"What are you going to do about that check of Miss Charters'?" said -Gunther in an aggressive tone. - -"Take it round to her," said Beecher, looking at him out of the corner -of his eye. - -"Mail it." - -"Why?" - -"Gratitude and a pretty woman are a dangerous combination," said Gunther -gruffly; "especially for something soft like you." - -"You damned, impertinent cuss," said Beecher acridly. - -"Fact. Better let me call a messenger boy and send it around." - -But in the pleased state of mind in which he was, Beecher had not the -slightest intention of surrendering the delightful opportunity which the -visit promised. Likewise, he was indignant at hearing from Gunther the -same implications which amused him from the lips of a fascinating woman -like Emma Fornez. - -"You've got a fine idea of me," he answered hotly. - -"I have." - -"According to you, I oughtn't to be allowed to roam the streets without -a keeper." - -"Exactly expressed." - -"Don't alarm yourself," said Beecher in a lofty, superior tone, and, -believing every word, he added, "I'm quite able to take care of myself. -I know how to amuse myself--and I know it is amusing myself, thank you. -You think I don't know anything about women--well, I know better than -some people how to keep my head straight." - -"So you're going around?" said Gunther with a grin. - -"I am." - -"I thought you said you had never met any one who could make you so -angry?" - -"Come and get me at five o'clock," said Beecher, with a trifling wave of -his hand. - -"I begin to have my doubts," said Gunther slowly, with the air of one -steeling himself against a great calamity. - -Beecher had no such anticipation as he went lightly out of the club and -took his way up the Avenue. For the last day he had thought much more of -the possible feelings of Nan Charters toward his own receptive person -than of analyzing the impregnability of his own position. He had not -telephoned, desiring to effect a little surprise. But as he neared his -destination he remembered that she might possibly be out. - -"In that case I'll leave a little note--just a line with the check--as -though it were a casual affair," he said to himself. - -But Miss Charters was in. An automobile was at the curb which he -thought he recognized. - -Miss Charters herself answered the door, detaining him a moment in the -anteroom. - -"I am so glad you came," she said in a low voice, but one in which it -was impossible to mistake the pleasure. "I wanted you to know that. A -friend of yours is here--but he won't stay long," she added softly, with -that gentle appeal in her voice against which he knew no defense. -"You'll stay--I want you to." - -"Who is it?" he asked. - -"Mr. Lorraine." And as she saw the instant stiffening that went through -him, she said quickly, with that subtle, merciless flattery of which -only women have the command, "Shall I send him away--if you wish?" - -"No." - -The two men greeted each other boisterously, but underneath their -heartiness was a sudden sense of invaded territory. - -"Is he interested?" thought Lorraine, with an uneasy glance. "And why -did she go out into the hall?" - -"What's his right here? Was he here to lunch, I wonder?" thought -Beecher, and for the first time he felt something hot surging inside of -himself. - -Each with an extra show of cordiality began to talk, addressing their -remarks to the other. Only Lorraine, whose tenancy was thus threatened, -continued to prolong his stay, anxiously watching the effect on the -woman. At the end of half an hour, he no longer doubted, she was only -waiting for him to go, uneasy and resentful at his delay. - -He rose, heavy of heart, and shook hands with Beecher, whom he would -have liked to throttle, and nodding to Miss Charters, went toward the -hall, hoping that she would follow him. But women in love match the -wordless surrender and tenderness they show to the man to whom they -yield with an equal cruelty toward those whose misfortune is to have -loved them. She did not move, waiting impatiently until she heard the -tardy click of the door. Then she went to him directly, standing quite -close, looking up at him like a penitent schoolgirl. - -"I thought he'd never go," she said impatiently, and then with an -uneasy, searching look in her eyes, she said contritely: "Do you think I -am very terrible?" - -He smiled and shook his head, but without profiting by the opportunity -her attitude invited. - -"You were engaged to Charlie once, weren't you?" he said, trying to give -the question an accent of natural curiosity. - -"No, never." - -"Almost?" - -She shook her head impatiently at the introduction of this topic. - -"People said so." - -She shrugged her shoulders. - -"But he is in love with you," he said positively. - -What she did not like was the quiet, inconsequential way he spoke, for -in her own mood she did not detect the jealousy underneath. - -"Please don't let us talk of Mr. Lorraine," she said quickly. "I have -never been engaged to Mr. Lorraine and never could; first, because I -don't intend to marry, and, second, because if I did, Mr. Lorraine could -never appeal to me." - -She broke off and going to the telephone said to him over her shoulder: - -"You're not in a hurry?" - -"No." - -"Good--then we need not be interrupted." - -She called the office and left word that she would not be at home. -Then, rising, she came slowly back, very subdued, still alarmed at the -undisturbed friendship in his look. - -"I was afraid you wouldn't come to see such a little virago," she said -softly. - -"I came to see you on a matter of business," he said, without thinking -of his words. - -Her face fell. - -"Oh, indeed." - -He drew out his pocketbook and took out the check. - -"Mr. Garraboy is leaving very suddenly for Europe," he said, turning -over the bit of paper. "He has decided to wind up his affairs. He -wished me to give you this check in settlement of your account," with -him. - -She stood quite still, her arms behind her back, but her eyes -dangerously brilliant. - -"If it's only on business you came," she said, breathing deep, "you can -keep your check." - -"But--" - -"Is it only on business you go to see other women?" - -He extended the check, and the jealousy Lorraine's presence had brought -him made him seek to hurt her a little more. - -"Don't be unreasonable," he said. - -"If you don't answer," she said, stamping her foot, "I will tear it into -pieces!" - -A quick, impulsive joy went through him at this revealing anger. - -"I came because I wanted to see you," he said with a provoking delight -in his eyes. "This is of no importance." - -She took the check, still looking at him, became calmer, smiled, and -then with a determined bob of her head, went to place it on her -writing-desk. All at once she turned quickly: - -"But this is signed McKenna!" - -"That's a detail." - -"Your friend McKenna, the detective? Then you forced this out of him?" - -"It wasn't very hard." - -She let the check flutter from her fingers to the desk, thoughtfully -considering it, divining slowly what it meant. - -"I am unreasonable," she said quietly, returning and holding out her -hand. "Thank you. Why did you bother--after the way I acted?" - -"Well, just because," he answered, looking down into her eyes. - -"So, Garraboy is a defaulter," she said slowly. - -"I cannot tell you any more." - -All at once a thought came to her and an anxious frown passed over her -forehead. - -"None of this is your money?" she said quickly. - -"No." - -"On your honor?" - -"Yes." - -"It is a great thing you have done for me," she said solemnly. "I am -very grateful." - -"Nonsense," he said lightly. "It was no trouble. I would have done it -for any one." - -They were near the great dormer-windows, high above the threaded smoke -and gray roofs of the city, now blending into fuzzy masses with the -closing of the day. - -"Well, now that your business is over," she said, but with a new -lightness, "I suppose you must be going?" - -"What do you want me to say?" he said, smiling with a growing feeling of -well-being. - -"Why did you come?" she repeated maliciously, and, half-laughing, -half-determined, she took the lapel of his coat in a gesture which, in -her fingers, was almost a caress. She stood looking up at him, so -happy, so brimming with the satisfaction of having him back, of -regaining what she had feared to lose, that he could not resist the -desire in her eyes. - -"Because I like you," he said. - -"Despite my tantrums and my moods?" - -"On account of them." - -"And would you have done what you did--for any one?" - -"Come to think of it--no." - -She was not content. She would rather that he had answered more -sentimentally. She felt that he was stronger than she was, more -controlled. - -"Are you interested in Emma Fornez?" she said, looking away from him. - -"Oh,--interested." - -"You like her?" - -"Yes, very much." - -"I shouldn't like to have you talked about." - -He did not answer. - -"What have I done that displeases you, Teddy?" she said all at once. - -But before he could answer, the room behind them dropped suddenly back -into darkness. - -"The light's gone out," she said, startled, her hand on his arm. - -"The current's cut--that's all," he answered. - -"I'll light a lamp." - -"No. It's good here. Wait. It'll only be a moment." - -They remained in the dark, turning their glances out of the window, -suddenly conscious of the panorama of the evening, the stir of departing -multitudes, the end of labor and the evening of rest. - -"How plainly you can see," he said. "That's Brooklyn Bridge, isn't it?" - -"Yes." - -At the east three giant spans stood out across the unreal gray view that -had neither banks nor green approaches, that cut its way like an -invading flood through the cities. Innumerable, cottony puffs of steam, -busy, hurrying, restless, rose from unseen hulls across the fading -silhouettes of tangled spans. High to the south from a cyclopean tower a -single ball of fire was shining. Below, in the long, straight avenues, -the city was putting on its necklaces of brilliants; and from the black -dotted masses that must be there somewhere in the growing obscurity, -rushing home over the backs of the waters, high above housetops or deep -through the bowels of the city, a great sigh seemed to rise with the -sudden freshening of the twilight breeze, and the two human beings who -looked down, as God looks down on this spectacle of a moving world, -found nothing to express the sudden melancholy that troubled them, -awakening vague desires, stirring them with the feeling of their own -littleness. - -"Come," she said, turning away the first, and, lingering, looking back, -placed a hand on his arm, repeating, "Come." - -He did not reply, looking beyond, deeply penetrated by all this humanity -that each moment receded farther from them, isolating them, lifting them -above the world into the loneliness of the skies. Her hand remained on -his arm unconsciously, but this weight so soft but yet so imperious -recalled him to himself. He thought no longer of what lay without. He -looked at her. She was trembling. He too felt the subtle, disturbing -restlessness of this dark that closed in about them, shutting out the -peopled world--this mood of the day that exerts over human beings such a -compelling desire. - -She turned and looked at him. He could not see her face distinctly, -only the eyes--that seemed incapable of seeing all but this. Then -abruptly, brusquely, by the same mutual impulse, they were in each -other's arms, straining to each other, their lips irresistibly closed -over each other, feeling themselves more and more wrapped around by this -soft darkness that had cast them up, enfolding their loneliness in the -great protective instinct of human love. - -The room flared up brilliantly. She recovered herself the first, -drawing herself out of his arms, covering her face with fingers that -still throbbed with the agony of their embrace. - -They could not look at each other, bewildered by the suddenness of what -had happened. She went past him hurriedly to the fireplace, sitting -down. He followed irresolutely, feeling his feet unsteady beneath him, -all the intellectual forces within him submerged, drunk, overthrown by -the sudden, delirious awakening of his senses, suddenly aroused by this -revelation of woman. - -"What have we done? What was it?" she said breathlessly, without facing -him. "We are crazy, Teddy,--crazy!" - -He came heavily to the other end of the fireplace, leaning on the -mantel, looking down at the woman who was no longer an indefinite -mystery of silks and colors, but a moving, living body that had stirred -in his arms. - -"Teddy, we are crazy," she repeated. "What possessed us?" - -"It is you who are crazy now," he said abruptly. "What is the use of -arguing? Those things are beyond us. It is over--it is settled. We -had nothing to do with it." - -"No, no," she cried vigorously, jumping up. "It is not right. It isn't -fair to you. We were swept off our feet." - -"Thank Heaven, yes." - -"But it's impossible, it's crazy--it's senseless. I don't want to -marry, I don't want to fall in love. I want to be free--I must be -free--I know that--you know that. So what then?" - -"What's the use of arguing? It's been settled for us." - -"But it isn't settled. I lost my head--you lost your head. We didn't -know what we were doing. Marriage is impossible, absurd. I'm not a -woman to marry--you would be unhappy--don't you see how ridiculous it -is? I think only of myself--my career--" - -"What's all that amount to--you love me and I love you. It's always -been so--we've been fools and I didn't know it." - -"But I don't know it," she cried; but at the same breath she knew that -it was so. But this knowledge only roused in her the spirit to combat, -to remit, to put away from her the threatening obstacle. - -"Nonsense. Why didn't you let me go? You wouldn't; you brought me -back; you couldn't help it--and I came. I would have come if you had -called me. I've said all that you say myself--what good did it do me? -Here I am!" - -"Well, then--yes, we may love each other," she said desperately. "I -don't know. I cannot reason it out--it may be so, perhaps--but even -then? Teddy, it can't go on. Don't you see how wicked it would be--how -wrong? Your wife can't be on the stage, and I can't give it up. It's -everything--it's been my whole life. We must be strong--we must stop -it. It's absurd--it's wrong." - -She came to him, seized with the two contrary impulses: an instinctive -revolt, a desire to force him from her life, and something just as -instinctive and irresistible that drew her back to him; and at the -moment she said the most firmly, "No, no, it's absurd, it's wrong," she -put out her hand and caught her fingers in his coat collar, just behind -his ear, under the masses of his hair. - -He caught her to him, wrapping his arms around her; she continued to -protest but, without resisting, her head dropped on his shoulder, her -eyes closed, her lips breathlessly open. - -All at once from the hall came the sound of a key in the latch. They -disengaged themselves hurriedly, arranging their disordered hair, -standing ridiculously apart. - -From the antechamber came the voice of Miss Tilbury, the chaperon, -discreetly remaining without: - -"Nan, dear, Mr. Hargrave is below. He has come for his manuscript." - -"But I'm not at home," she said in a muffled voice. - -"You ought to send it down to him, really." - -"Mr. Beecher is here--aren't you coming in?" - -"In a moment." - -The steps died out going to the back. Beecher, who had looked at the -clock, uttered an exclamation. She came to him quickly, with the motions -of the alert feline, and seizing his wrist said quickly: - -"Listen, Teddy, I will not hold you to what has happened. We are out of -our senses, you and I. We are crazy--crazy. You must not see me for a -while--two days at least--until we know what we are doing. Go, now, -please--" - -Then, suddenly remembering that the same Hargrave had been the innocent -cause of a little pain to him, she went quickly to the table and took up -the offending play, and with that fine instinct of a woman to give even -the smallest revenge to the man she loves, said: - -"Take this. Give it to Hargrave yourself. Say I cannot see him." - -"I shall see you tomorrow." - -"No, no; but telephone tonight." - -She listened a moment, her ear toward the hall like a child, and then -sprang into his arms, and this time it seemed to him that it was she, -not he, who dominated the embrace. - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIII* - - -At half-past five, Beecher, his brain in a whirl, arrived breathlessly -at the office of McKenna. As luck would have it, only Gunther and the -detective were there. - -"My friend is a little late," said McKenna, with a quick, jerky glance -at the clock. - -"Where's Garraboy?" - -"Twirling his thumbs in another room," said Gunther, laughing. "In a -cussing bad humor, too." - -For the second time, McKenna glanced nervously at the clock. Beecher -was struck with the mood of restlessness that obsessed him. He passed -aimlessly from desk to window and back again, apparently oblivious to -their presence, immersed in some calculation that left its outward mark -in a deep furrow between the eyebrows, while the cigar between his lips -had gone out unperceived. - -"Mr. Beecher," he said suddenly, stopping short, "I'm not sure but what -I've gone off on a ridiculous tangent--it may be--it may be. Have you -still got that envelope I gave you?" - -"Yes, in my pocket--here," said Beecher, surprised, laying his hand on -his coat. - -"It was a ridiculous thing for me to do," said McKenna quickly. He made -a movement of his hand as though to take it, but repressed it, saying: -"All I ask is, don't open it until I ask you." Then, still ruffled, he -turned away, saying to himself: "Guessing--humph! I'd fire a man for -doing that." - -The telephone rang with a message from the outer office and a moment -later, to the amazement of both young men, Mapleson, of the firm of -Sontag & Company, came in smiling and businesslike. - -"How are you, McKenna?" he said affably, shaking hands. "Sorry to keep -you waiting. What can I do for you?" - -He was a slender, dark young man of forty-two or three, very graceful, -pleasant in voice and fluent in manner, with a sure instinct for -ingratiating himself where it best could serve. - -"How do you do, Mr. Beecher," he said on being introduced. "I am very -glad to know you, Mr. Gunther. I have the pleasure of knowing your -father slightly. The country owes him a great debt for what he's done -in this panic. Well, is there any mystery I can clear up for you?" - -He accepted a chair, crossed his legs easily, brought out a gold -cigarette-case, offered it with a wave and smiled at their declinations. - -"Why, yes, Mr. Mapleson, you can give us a little information," said -McKenna. - -"Anything I can do for you, McKenna, glad to do it," said Mapleson. - -"You may remember a ring that was sold by your firm a few months ago to -Mr. John G. Slade," said McKenna directly; "a single ruby, valued, I -believe, around thirty thousand dollars." - -Mapleson did not avert his eyes from the glance of the detective, yet -without a movement of his body an instant change came in his manner. He -drew in a puff of smoke, let it out, nodded carefully and said: - -"Yes, known as the Bogota ruby. I remember perfectly." - -"I understand that that ring was brought back within the last ten days -and pledged for a considerable amount." - -"Indeed?" said Mapleson. He flung away the half smoked cigarette, and -busied himself with selecting another. "Well, what do you want to -know?" - -"I want to know the name of the person--man or woman--who pledged it." - -Mapleson changed his mind, shut the cigarette-case with a snap, clasped -his hands in front of him, thumbs up and pressed against his teeth. - -"Can you tell me a little more?" he said at last. - -"No, I cannot," McKenna said frankly. - -The eyes of the jeweler wandered from the detective and settled on the -face of Beecher. The look made the young man flush. It was as though -the smiling, affable confidant of feminine mysteries and intrigues was -asking himself what part in all this he were playing. - -"Can you tell me for whom you are acting, Mr. Beecher?" he said -suddenly. - -McKenna made a gesture of warning, interrupting: - -"I'm sorry--we cannot." - -"Have you a warrant?" continued Mapleson seriously. "In other words, is -this a friendly meeting, or a legal procedure?" - -"There is no warrant as yet. It is a case we particularly desire to -keep out of court," said McKenna. - -"It is very embarrassing," said Mapleson frankly, "very. I don't know -quite how to act. Of course, McKenna, considering your relations with -our firm, I should always be glad to assist you in any way--you -understand that. The present case is different. The ring was not -pledged with Sontag & Company, but with me personally. It is a personal -matter and a very delicate one." - -"I understand that," said McKenna, frowning. "And yet I must inform you -that I shall probably have to proceed in the usual manner." - -"Of course, if I'm brought into court on a summons," said Mapleson -thoughtfully, "that is different. If I am faced by the fact that a theft -has taken place, I can do nothing else but aid the law." - -"But now--" - -"At present? No, McKenna, I cannot give you the name of the person that -pledged the ring with me. The case seems very complex to me--much more -than you may believe; and as nothing is legally charged I prefer to keep -my relations confidential." - -"Mr. Mapleson, can you answer this?" - -"What?" - -"Is your refusal because you believe the intention of the person who -pledged it is to restore it to its owner?" - -Mapleson turned the question over a long time, whistling softly to -himself. Finally he said: - -"I don't know. I know nothing." - -"Can you tell me the amount you advanced on the ring?" - -"Yes; I think I can tell you that," he said, after a moment's thought. -"I advanced twenty-eight thousand dollars." - -"Twenty-eight?" said McKenna, lifting his eyebrows. "Twenty-eight on a -ring worth only thirty thousand?" - -"It was not a business transaction--entirely," said Mapleson stiffly. - -"Then Sontag & Company knew nothing about it?" - -"No." - -"Was the ring pledged the day before Majendie committed suicide?" - -"Yes." - -"In the morning?" - -"Early in the morning." - -"One final question. The ring is still in your possession?" - -"No." - -"It is not in your possession?" said McKenna, with a sudden clearing of -his forehead. "Mr. Mapleson, you are answering this because you feel -bound--" - -"Not at all," said Mapleson quickly. "The ring was redeemed this -morning. I know nothing more about it." - -The speculations which were occasioned by this disclosure were suddenly -interrupted by a knock on the door. - -"Come!" said McKenna sharply. - -An assistant entered the room with two letters. McKenna looked at the -first and nodded, and then seeing the address on the second looked up -quickly, saying: - -"How did this come--this letter for Mr. Beecher?" - -"It was sent down from his apartment, I believe, sir. Mr. Beecher's man -brought it, I think." - -"Very well." - -McKenna dismissed him with a gesture, but instead of opening his letter -thrust both of them into his pocket. - -"That's all, Mr. Mapleson," he said with incisiveness. "I'm sorry to -have troubled you. It's quite possible, as you perhaps believe, this -case will be settled out of court." - -"Let's hope so," said Mapleson non-committally. "I'm always at your -service, you know. It's I who should apologize. Mr. Gunther, remember -me to your father. Mr. Beecher, I hope to meet you soon again." - -He shook hands warmly with Beecher, as though the young man had acquired -a new value in his eyes, and went out. - -The moment the door had shut, McKenna had the two letters out of his -pocket. - -"Two letters from the same lady," he said, tossing one to Beecher. -"Both messages the same, too, I'll bet. Of course!" - -He laughed and extended the letter to Gunther, who read: - - -DEAR MR. MCKENNA: - -The ring has just been returned. Can I see you at once? Take no further -measures. - -RITA KILDAIR. - - -McKenna was a changed man. All the indecision had left him. His eyes -were sparkling with pleasure and he was laughing to himself, as he took -up the telephone. - -"Here, give me Clancy," he cried impatiently. "Hello. What's the matter -with Brady; hasn't he come back with that information yet? He has? -Well, why the devil--send in the figures! Quick!" - -A moment later a slip was in his hand and he was gazing at it eagerly. - -"Mr. Beecher, give me half an hour's start--no, better, three quarters -of an hour. Wait--have you got a car? Good. Drive me up to Mrs. -Kildair's as fast as you can get me there." - -"What about Garraboy?" said Gunther. "Is he to go free?" - -"Not by a damn sight!" said McKenna joyfully rushing them down the hall. -In the office he stopped to say hurriedly: "Clancy, stick by -Garraboy--feed him--but keep him close until I telephone you!" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXIV* - - -McKenna was not without that penetrating imagination that has in it the -quality of vision, the power to invoke the figures of the past and to -follow an idea into the recesses of the future. All that he had learned -and all that he had tentatively surmised of the mysterious purposes of -Rita Kildair, returned to him with renewed vividness as he entered the -elevator saying briefly to a question: - -"I'm expected." - -In his long and profound pursuit of human lawlessness, the detective had -formed a crude philosophy, built on the perception of the inequalities -of justice. The beginning of all crime, if he could thus have phrased it -to himself, was failure. For each man that he had sent to jail for -embezzlement, in the capacious corridor of his memory he knew another -who ethically was the greater rogue, and, as he had said to Beecher, -each day he met one such, looked into his eyes, shook his hands and took -his orders. For each woman upon whom public scorn had set the brand of -adventuress, he knew another woman who stood enthroned by that same -society. Confusedly in his mind he had shaped a crude analysis of life. -For him only two classes existed, the strong and the weak. The strong -was that brutal race which could not be held down by the restraints of -society, who must rise, acquire power, dominate, obeying the natural -instinct within them; the weak those who aided them in their upward -progress, who served them when they had arrived, and who committed -crimes in their names. It was not a moral view of life so much as it -was a perception of the persisting law of all animal nature. - -The engagement to Slade, following so dramatically his triumphant rise -from threatened disaster, had made him realize that whatever methods she -had dared to employ, Mrs. Kildair was one of those whom society would -never scorn for her failure. Intrigued as he was over the details of the -theft of the ring, what absorbed him most was the woman. And determined -at all hazards to force the defenses of her reserve, he rang the bell. - -Mrs. Kildair was at the piano, the riotous movements of an Hungarian -Czardas filling the apartment. She broke off suddenly, rising as -McKenna entered the studio. The mood of whirling ecstasy, suddenly cut -off, was still in her flushed cheeks and excited eyes, as she glided -rapidly toward him. - -She was in evening gown, of some flame-colored, filmy material, with -sudden trembling flashes of gold bewildering to the eye, provoking to -the imagination. The bodice, extreme in its daring, was not one of those -stiff cuirasses, in which women encase themselves; rather the effect was -of a billowy scarf that had caught and wrapped itself languidly about -her. The low throat, the graceful arms, the brilliant row of pointed -teeth over the full under lip, all had an extraordinary quality of -vibrant, awake, impatient vitality. - -In seeing her thus, McKenna comprehended at once that she had prepared -herself for Slade; but so daring was the effect of the seduction which -she had barbarically planned to tantalize the financier, that McKenna -himself felt the effect with a little nervous, conscious dropping of his -eyes. The movement did not escape her, and not disdaining the tribute -she smiled to herself a quick, feline little smile. - -"You, McKenna?" she said. "You are prompt." - -"I came immediately." - -"I was waiting for you." - -They stood a few feet apart in the middle of the studio studying each -other, as two fencers take their measure before joining their swords. - -"You were at your office then?" she said the first. - -"Yes, I came up in Mr. Beecher's car." - -"Mr. Beecher was with you?" - -"Yes." - -"I sent him--" - -"A letter, yes. He received it at my office." - -"But why didn't he come up with you?" - -"I asked him to give me half an hour here with you." - -"That was better," she said firmly. - -All the undisciplined impulses that had been stirring, gradually seemed -to subside as she watched him, warily drawing about her an invisible -defense. - -"Here is the ring," she said suddenly, extending her arm with a gesture -that was no longer languid and feminine, but forceful and controlled. - -"I'd like to see it," he said. - -She drew it from her finger and held it out to him. He laid it in his -palm and studied it profoundly. - -"What is it worth?" he asked. - -"Over thirty thousand dollars." - -"Ah," he said quickly. "Beecher told me you said fifteen thousand." - -She looked at him from under her eyelids. - -"I have just learned its value." - -"Remarkable--a splendid stone. It has had quite a history," he said, -handing it back to her and watching it return to her finger. "Let's -hope it will stay there quietly for some time." - -"You know its story?" - -"From the beginning. It will interest you. I'll send it to you." - -"Do." - -The last replies she had given were mechanical, her whole mind focused -on him, alert for any sudden turn to her advantage, seeking to penetrate -the tactics he would employ. - -"You kept away--on purpose," she said abruptly. - -"That's so." - -"Why?" - -"Well, call it a matter of vanity," he said. - -"In what way?" - -"You excited my curiosity--you were a little too clever in our last -interview." - -"So you kept on with your investigations?" - -"Yes." - -"Successful?" she said lightly. - -"Very." - -"Indeed? Do you know who took the ring?" - -"The first time? No." - -She stopped, looked at him intently, and said: - -"The second time then?" - -"Yes, I know who took it the second time." - -"Who?" - -"You." - -She laughed without confusion and, turning from him, went toward the -fireplace, resting one bare arm on the mantel, the red splash of the -ruby showing like a flare of anger against her cheek. She looked back -at McKenna, who had not moved, saying with an admonishing shake of her -head: - -"McKenna, you are guessing." - -"It's a good guess." - -"Let me hear your theory." - -"It is not a theory today." - -"Indeed?" - -"Yesterday it was a guess; today, I know." - -"How do you know?" - -"Because today I saw Mapleson," he said, watching her. - -"Yes? Mapleson, of Sontag & Company? I know him very well," she -replied with still no expression but amusement. "What then?" - -"The ring was pawned with him, a personal matter, the morning after the -theft, for the sum of twenty-eight thousand dollars. It was redeemed -today." - -"By whom?" - -"By you, naturally," said McKenna, yet despite his absolute conviction, -her composure was such that he was almost shaken in his theory. - -"Mapleson never told you that." - -"No; he refused to answer. It lay in my mind between you and Mrs. -Cheever. The fact that he would not answer, gave me my strongest clue." - -"In what way?" - -"If it had been Mrs. Cheever, he would not have concealed it, because it -would have been a theft. But as it was you who came to him, he refused -to divulge the name, because he knew that no crime had been committed -and that we had either no right to be investigating, or were doing so to -be blinded by you." - -"McKenna, you are guessing," said Mrs. Kildair again. "You are -supposing that only Mrs. Cheever and I are on such terms with him that -we could make such a personal transaction. As a matter of fact, not -only Mrs. Bloodgood, but her husband and Miss Lille could have done the -same thing." - -"True," said McKenna, but he added obstinately: "No, the only reason -Mapleson withheld the name was because no crime had been committed." - -"Before we go on," she said with the same mocking smile, "would you mind -telling me how you worked out this theory? Sit down. I really am -interested." - -If McKenna had not in his possession one bit of information which he had -withheld, he would have felt the nervousness of a possible and -ridiculous failure. At it was, a doubt flashed across his mind; but he -allowed her to see none of this hesitation. - -"I'm perfectly willing to let you know how it came about," he said, -sitting down and speaking frankly. "I'm not laying claim to anything -startling. I'll admit now that as to the details of how it was done, and -why it was done, I don't know. I can guess; but I don't know. But as -to tracing the ring and working back from that--that's A.B.C." Then, -with a flash of intuition, he said abruptly: "Of course, Mapleson has -just 'phoned you." - -"Well, go on," she said without reply, drawn back a little, listening -intently. - -"The first thing I did was to locate the ring," he began. "You yourself -know how easy it is to follow a stone worth thirty thousand. You know -that, because the moment you found out I was on the case, you knew I -would learn that Slade gave it to you. That's why you had me come -here--to block it." - -"That's true." - -"Now, for a while, I admit I was in the dark, following several clues, -and I don't mind saying here that until your engagement I was not at all -sure it wasn't Mr. Slade himself who had taken that way of recovering -it." - -"That's strange," she said, startled. "Yes, I can see that was -possible, too." - -"Now, what I was working on," said McKenna, "was the strongest -motive--that whoever took it up, took it because he had to take it to -raise money, to pay a debt or to gamble on the market. So I -investigated two ways--first, the back histories and the present -standing of every one at your party; second, in the great jewelry shops, -to find out if the ring had been sold or pawned." - -"Of course." - -"I didn't believe it had been done openly--that would have been too -risky--but through some channel like Mapleson. But I wasn't thinking of -Mapleson then. I couldn't locate the ring. I found out that Bloodgood, -Cheever, Mrs. Cheever, Miss Lille and Garraboy had all speculated -heavily on the market next day. That didn't help much. Now I come to -my interview with you." - -Mrs. Kildair nodded and leaned forward slightly. - -"That worried me. After that, I did one thing and thought another. -Down at the bottom, there was something that kept me thinking about you, -something that bothered me. That's where the guess-work comes in, but I -don't know as I'd call it guess-work. It's an instinct you get when you -come in contact with a person--it's put me on the right track many a -time. I saw you didn't want anything done, but what fooled me was, I -thought it was--" He hesitated, and then said boldly: "Mrs. Kildair, no -use talking unless we say what we mean, is there?" - -"Quite right, be professional," she said with a quick nod. "You thought -I wished to conceal what my true relations were with Slade? That's it, -isn't it?" - -"Yes, that was it," he said slowly. "And being wrong myself, I figured -out a possible motive. I was dead sure you knew who had taken the ring. -Don't ask how--that's instinct--but I knew. So I figured out it was -blackmail you were afraid of, and I began looking around for the lady or -gentleman who would know that the ring had belonged to Slade. Do you -see?" - -"Yes, go on. It's very plausible." - -"It looked like Garraboy, and it looked like the Cheevers at times," he -said. "Then Mr. Beecher told me of seeing Mapleson in Mrs. Cheever's -box at the opera, and that you said you knew him. That's what started me -on Mapleson. Likewise, I began thinking more and more about that -interview with you. Then came your engagement and I flung over all my -theories, and got down to work. I began to look you up, and when I -found out the situation from Mapleson, I made up my mind then and there, -for one reason or another, you yourself took the ring the second time." - -"Is that all?" - -"No, this evening I got the last link I'd been waiting for." - -"What's that?" - -"Your account with your broker, and the record of sales," he said, -bringing out a slip from his pocket. - -"Do you get convictions on such evidence as this?" she said steadily. - -"No," he said frankly; "but I get confessions." - -"Why should I take my own ring?" - -"The situation was unusual. You probably learned of Majendie's failure -and you plunged on the short side." - -"But why not do so openly?" she said calmly. - -He hesitated. - -"Do you really want me to answer that?" he said finally. - -"We are not mincing words." - -"You were not engaged to Mr. Slade at that moment," he began. - -"How do you know?" - -"I do know. The one thing in your interview with me I particularly -remember was your anxiety that Mr. Slade should know nothing." - -She remained thoughtful, bracing her fingers against each other, -carefully considering what he had shown he knew. - -"And your theory is that I took the ring the second time," she said, -"when whoever first took it had thrown it on the table, that I called in -detectives to make Slade believe it had been stolen, so that I could -gamble in Wall Street without being suspected." - -"Exactly," he said. "I have no means of knowing who took it first, but -I would gamble my soul you took it the second time. For another reason: -any one who took it knew he faced a search--that it was almost -impossible to get it out of the room. The only person who could take it -without being suspected was yourself." - -"McKenna," she said at last, but without the amusement that had formerly -been in her eyes, "you are still guessing." - -He rose impatiently and went across the room, his hands behind his back. - -"Then, Mrs. Kildair," he said, turning, "do you wish me to report what I -have just told you to my client, Mr. Beecher--as a guess?" - -She stood up at once, fully alert. - -"Mrs. Kildair, I am not an enemy," he continued, with a sudden change of -manner. "I may not know all--but I know too much. Now, I'll tell you -right out why I want your confidence. You marry John G. Slade. Slade -is going to be one of the biggest figures in the country; I know that. -I've had his business; I want to keep it. It's going to be ten times -what it was before. More, I want his backing. I want several big jobs -other agencies have got--The Bankers' Association, for one. Now, from -what I've seen of you, the force back of Slade will be Mrs. Slade. Tell -me yourself what I already know and I know I've got you as a friend. -Keep it from me, and I know you'll supplant me with your husband. There -may come a time when I can serve you--you never can tell. It's worth -trying. I repeat I know too much. The only way to guard against it is -by full confidence." - -"You are right. I will tell you," she said suddenly, and she added -seriously, "I was prepared to tell you. But it is understood this -remains our secret." - -"My word." - -"And that Mr. Beecher is not to have the slightest clue. Can you -promise me that?" - -"I have another story ready." - -"Good. Then it is an alliance," she said, and she offered her hand -abruptly, with a movement full of authority. - -McKenna shook hands, surprised at the masculine directness of her grip, -surprised too at the utter disappearance from her face and attitude of -all the impulsive fire and fascination that had first struck him. - -"You are right, and you are wrong," she said directly. "I took the -ring, but in an entirely different way from what you believe. I did not -take it at the table, as you think--do you know where I found it?" - -"Where?" - -"In the pocket of Mr. Beecher's overcoat." - - - - - *CHAPTER XXV* - - -McKenna was so startled at this announcement that the expression on his -face brought a smile to the face of the woman. - -"Let me begin at the beginning," she said. - -While he seated himself, she continued moving about, her head down, her -lip closed over her under lip, carefully considering the situation. She -had no fear to give her confidence. She understood the man with whom -she was dealing, the more so for his open avowal of his reasons for -seeking her friendship. Also she was fully alive as to the strength of -such an alliance. What she considered was how much she should reveal. -To-morrow she would be Mrs. John G. Slade, at the goal of her ambitions, -over what perilous paths only she herself knew. The knowledge of what -she had won suffocated her, for the nature of dramatic and adventurous -spirits is such that they must seek relief in confidence. More, they -crave the admiration that only another can bring to complete their -moments of self-intoxication. At this moment, when her role had been -played, she craved applause. McKenna was not a friend--he was a -machine, a rock that would give back an echo. Beside, what had he not -divined? - -"McKenna," she began quietly, though weighing her words, "to any one -else I might tell my story differently. With you it is otherwise. You -are no fool. I shall speak openly. On the night of my party I was -virtually ruined." - -"Ruined!" exclaimed McKenna, with an involuntary glance at the luxury -which surrounded them. - -"When I say ruined, I mean for me," she said, nodding. She became -thoughtful, looking beyond him, seeing a distant self. "When I came -here I had fifteen thousand a year. I was not satisfied. I wanted -forty. I gambled. I have always gambled. I lost heavily. That night I -had only five thousand a year left. That was ruin for me. I speculated -on the tips of a man who deliberately and for a purpose misinformed me. -Can you guess who that man was?" - -"Slade," said McKenna instantly. - -"Yes, Slade," she said. "It has been a desperate struggle between us. -Tomorrow I shall become his wife. That is what I want more than I have -ever wanted anything else. It is my right--you will see what I will do. -Understand me, if Slade had failed I should not have married him, and -yet I tell you frankly he is the only man I have known that appeals to -me in every way. However," she added, with a little abrupt movement of -her closed hand, "that's over. I have won." - -"Did he know that you had lost?" asked McKenna slowly. - -"No," she said with a smile, "he never knew. Not that he would not have -made it up--in his way. It is a game he must have played many times." -She went to a writing-desk and, unlocking a drawer, brought out a note. -"When I told you he gave me this ring with an offer of marriage," she -said, returning, "that was not true. He had no thought of marriage -then--far from it. He offered me the ring and I refused it, knowing -that he did so only to try my weakness. Also, he wanted to find out -what I knew of Majendie and the Atlantic Trust. When he left he sent it -back with this note. Read it." - -McKenna took the sheet, smoothing out the wrinkles, and held it up. - - -DEAR LADY: - -Apologies for my rudeness. If you won't accept a gift, at least wear -the ring for a week. I should like to know what effect it could have on -your cold little soul. Oblige my curiosity. It's only a little -reparation for the disappointment I gave you. - -J.G.S. - - -Mrs. Kildair took the note again and returning to the desk locked it in -the drawer. - -"This, then, was my situation the night of the party. I had lost two -thirds of what I had. I was absolutely resolved to play everything I -possessed on one last gamble. I need not remind you of the financial -situation at that time. I knew Majendie and I knew Slade. Furthermore, -I knew Mrs. Bloodgood. The problem was this--if Majendie was to be -supported and the Atlantic Trust to be upheld, there would probably be -no panic. If Majendie failed, I knew there would be a tremendous break -in stocks--a killing for those who knew what was coming. That night -everything depended on my solving Majendie's fate. I did and I won. It -was a guess, but a guess such as you understand. I have known too many -men not to know how a true man acts under such circumstances. He came -from the meeting that had condemned him, and the first moment he greeted -Mrs. Bloodgood, I was sure that he was lost. Later, as he bowed -ironically to something I had said, I saw in the gaping of his pocket -something that gave me another clue--a slight thing, but which had a lot -to do with what followed--just an edge of a green folder." - -"A folder?" said McKenna, perplexed. - -"Yes, a folder that I thought might be a railroad time-table," she said, -nodding. "I knew, of course, of Mrs. Bloodgood's infatuation. I had -her confidence. I knew that she had started to procure a divorce. I -likewise knew how often she had begged Majendie to elope with her. -Furthermore, almost every one there that night was watching Majendie for -the same purpose--all who were speculating; Mr. and Mrs. Cheever, -Bloodgood, Garraboy, Maud Lille, Slade--who came in late, quite -unexpected--were there on the same errand." - -"Yes, that I understood," said McKenna. - -"Now, I come to the actual theft of the ring. The moment I found it had -been taken, I realized all the difficulties of my position, how -dangerous any inquiry would be to my reputation, which would necessarily -establish the fact of its being a gift of Slade's. I resolved on -desperate measures. That is why I came back, had the doors locked, -extinguished the lights, and announced that I would call in detectives -to have every one searched, unless the ring was restored during the -period in the dark, while I counted one hundred." - -"Did you suspect who had taken it?" asked McKenna. - -"There were several I could suspect--that was the trouble," she said. -"As you know, when I had counted sixty-one, there was a sound on the -table. Every one exclaimed! The ring had been restored! When the lights -were lit the table was bare. Evidently a second thief had taken what the -first had restored. That's what I thought--every one thought. I was -wrong. There were not two thieves, there was only one." - -"The same person had put it down as a blind and taken it again," said -McKenna slowly, as she waited for his comment. - -"No," she replied, smiling. "It was all cleverly planned, and only an -accident prevented its being successful. My ring was never on the -table." - -"The ring that was thrown down, then," said McKenna, suddenly -enlightened, "was another ring--a blind--to cover what any one might -have seen? I see!" - -"And also to make it appear that the ring was in the studio." - -"Yes, I understand it now," said McKenna, nodding, with a sudden snap of -his fingers. - -"I immediately went out, locking the door, and telephoned for my -detectives. To this point this was my only thought. When I had done -that, I began to think over what had happened. It seemed incredible to -me that any one should have dared take such a risk--particularly as a -search was inevitable. When I returned to the studio and awaited the -arrival of my detectives, this was my only thought. I studied each and -I became convinced that the ring would not be found on any one. If that -were true, where was it? In the studio, hidden somewhere--but even -there it would be sure to be found--so why should any one have even -risked that?" She stopped a moment and then said quietly, with again -that same far-seeing look beyond him: "McKenna, in my life I have seen -many strange scenes. I have known of many more. One such came back to -me and I guessed this much--that the real ring had not been heard. But -that was all. When the detectives arrived, I went quietly into the -hall, still trying to work it out. Quite by accident, I brushed against -one of the coats that was hanging over the railing and knocked it down. -Absolutely mechanically, without knowing why I did it, when I picked it -up I ran my hands in the pockets. In the second was the ring." - -"And the coat, you say, was Beecher's?" said McKenna, amazed. - -"Wait. I replaced it hurriedly, noticing how similar it was to another -that still lay on the rail. Then I opened the door and ushered the -detectives into the dining-room. I had the ring, but I did not know the -thief. Then all at once it came over me to what use I might put what -had occurred. I had the ring which had been offered me, but which I -could not accept openly. I could now use it to raise money for the -speculation I had resolved upon, without Slade's knowing of the -obligation. Second, I wanted to make sure that I had really seen a -time-table in the pocket of Majendie. I gave my order to that effect to -the detectives and started the search." - -"Was it a time-table?" - -"Nothing was found. Majendie, profiting either by the first period of -darkness, or the second, had thrown it away. I found it in the -waste-basket a little later. It was a time-table and his very action -made my guess a certainty." - -"But the thief?" - -"When the turn of Garraboy arrived," said Mrs. Kildair, "he left, as all -did, without returning to the studio. I was watching him particularly. -Five minutes after he left, he returned. He had taken Mr. Beecher's -coat by mistake." - -An exclamation of annoyance escaped McKenna. He sprang up angrily. - -"Mrs. Kildair," he said, not attempting to restrain his annoyance, "that -is the one thing Mr. Beecher neglected to tell me--see how we are -handicapped--" - -"I'm not blaming you, McKenna," said Mrs. Kildair with a smile. "On the -contrary, you discovered entirely too much." - -"It was cleverly worked out," said McKenna grimly, "and no risk. He had -his wits about him. Sounding another ring on the table to limit the -search to the studio was quick thinking. Planting it in Beecher's coat -was better. Even if he were caught with it on, he could pretend -amazement, a natural mistake. And if not, it was a clean getaway," he -added ruefully. "All the same, I wish I'd known that detail." - -"For the rest you were right. Mapleson loaned me the money. He is an -old acquaintance, and I have once or twice," she said carelessly, -"rendered him important services. He did telephone me ten minutes -before you came. I staked everything I had in the market. I doubled my -losses. Is there any other point?" - -"Your having the detectives stay was, of course, a blind?" - -"Of course. I called Miss Charters and Garraboy on purpose. To this -day I wonder who he thinks got the ring from him." - -"He suspects," said McKenna. - -"Probably," she said carelessly. Then she turned on him. "Now, -McKenna, answer me a question." - -"Which one?" - -"It's a thing I want to know," she said, with a sudden shade of dread -creeping over her face. "It is one of those fatalities in life that are -so terrible. Majendie killed himself because he thought the detectives -on his track had a warrant for his arrest. Weren't they, in fact, your -men, simply placed there to record his movements for Slade?" - -"Mrs. Slade," said McKenna, not noticing the slip, "you have just given -me a profound confidence. Would you trust in my power to keep it, if, -supposing I knew anything, I should tell you? Ask your husband himself -and tell me yourself. I am curious also." - -Mrs. Kildair, who saw in the politic evasion a feminine answer, nodded -and drew back with a shudder. - -At this moment Kiki entering announced that Mr. Beecher was below. - -"Tell him the truth," said McKenna quickly. "That is, three quarters of -the truth. Leave it to me." - -When Beecher entered, expectation and long-restrained curiosity on his -face, McKenna, with a look of crestfallen defeat which completely -deceived him, said immediately: - -"Mr. Beecher, have you that envelope I gave you?" - -"Am I to open it?" said Beecher eagerly, bringing it out. - -"On the contrary," said McKenna, taking it quickly. He took it and -could not resist examining the edges to see if it had been tampered -with. "This is one of my failures, Mr. Beecher," he said, tearing it -into small pieces. "I've got too much vanity to let you see what an ass -I've been." - -"What does this mean?" said Beecher, standing open-mouthed. - -"It means, Teddy," said Mrs. Kildair severely, "that it is entirely your -fault." - -"My fault!" - -"Yes, your fault. You neglected to tell Mr. McKenna the one thing that -was important." - -"What thing--what do you mean?" - -"That Mr. Garraboy went off with your coat by mistake." - -"Yes, Mr. Beecher," said McKenna, shaking his head, "by not telling me -that one detail, you've made a fool out of me." - -"Then, Garraboy took it!" said Beecher, his face lighting up with a -smile of triumph. - -"Garraboy took it, planted it in your pocket and then faked the ring at -the table. The ring was returned through a woman who guessed it and had -it restored. Her name is a secret, but you are at liberty to guess." - -"Miss Lille," said Beecher to himself. This denouement, which coincided -so closely with his own divination, completely convinced him. - -"If you've no further use for me," said McKenna, with the same hang-dog -look, "I'll be going. Another time I hope to serve you better." - -"Thank you," said Mrs. Kildair, who contrived to add to the words a -little smile, comprehensible only to the detective. - -"Permit me to give you my profound congratulations," said McKenna, -taking her hand with a bow that made Beecher open his eyes in wonder. -"I wish you every success." - -"_Au revoir_, McKenna," said Mrs. Kildair, still smiling. - -"Good-night, McKenna," said Beecher in turn. - -"Oh, you," said the detective, going off grumbling; "I have a bone to -pick with you." - -Beecher laughed guiltily when the door had closed. - -"By Jove," he said, "McKenna certainly is in bad humor. I'm sorry. But -he was off on a tangent, wasn't he?" - - - - - *CHAPTER XXVI* - - -"Just one thing I would like to know," said Beecher when Mrs. Kildair, -following McKenna's lead, had left off with Garraboy's departure. - -"What?" she said, noticing his sudden embarrassment. - -He could not keep from his face a new consciousness, but he went on -lamely: - -"Why did Miss Charters come back?" - -She laughed at what his manner revealed, and said: - -"So that's it! I told you she came when I telephoned her." - -"Yes, but why did you do that?" - -"Because I noticed her agitation and the way she watched one person in -particular." - -"Mrs. Bloodgood?" - -"Yes." - -"What did she tell you?" - -"She had seen Mrs. Bloodgood pick up the ring and try it on," said Mrs. -Kildair. "The circumstances did seem suspicious, for Mrs. Bloodgood -looked up in the mirror and saw her watching her. Miss Charters did not -know whether she had returned it, I suppose. That was all. It did look -bad--considering what happened afterward." - -"That was it, then," said Beecher, satisfied. He raised his head and -saw Mrs. Kildair's eyes on him intently. - -"Well?" he said with an innocent expression. - -"How far has it gone?" said Mrs. Kildair. - -"What?" - -"Are you in love with Miss Charters?" - -"I wonder," he said evasively. - -"Are you serious?" she asked quickly. - -"And if I said yes--" - -"You are thinking of marriage?" - -"And if I were?" - -"You'd be a big fool," she said decisively. - -He raised his eyebrows, astonished and wounded. - -"You say this--the day before your own?" - -"Come here," she said, taking him by the wrist and leading him to the -sofa. "Sit down there. Are you really seriously thinking of marriage?" - -"Yes, I am." - -She drew back in her chair, looking at him in doubt. - -"Teddy," she said at last, "you are too worth while to be spoiled like -that. You have been too loyal a friend for me not to keep you from this -blunder." - -"But, good heavens, am I not a responsible being?" - -"Listen," she said, cutting him off. She glanced at the clock. "I -haven't much time, so don't interrupt me. I am very fond of you and -what I say is in kindness. Yes, I am going to marry, and yet I say to -you that you should not. I understand what it means. I have nothing to -learn. There are two kinds of marriages, Teddy. The marriage that -ninety-nine persons out of a hundred make--the marriage that is a -joining of forces to fight the battle of life--has a definite object. -The wife is the helpmate. The serious thing is to live, to pay the -bills and to save a little money. You have nothing to do with that kind -of marriage. The other kind of marriage is the marriage our sort makes, -most of the time--no responsibilities, no object, and no struggle. You -take a wife to help you enjoy yourself, and your enjoyment depends on -piling up new sensations--in never being bored. Happiness in such -conditions is a miracle. As a matter of fact, it is not a marriage at -all, it is simply a liaison." - -"Even then?" - -"Yes, certain liaisons have lasted and been happy," she admitted; "we -know that, but only on the same terms that will make permanent happiness -in such a marriage. You are not a worker--you are simply curious about -life, and curiosity is not a thing that is satisfied by one experience. -The marriage you would make now would simply be an experience in -curiosity, with inevitable results. To have any chance of success, do -you know what ought to be?" - -"What?" - -"There should be on each side an equal experience in curiosity. When -you have known two hundred women, you will find that there is always one -above the rest who is necessary to you. Miss Charters may be that one -now, but without the experience I speak of, you will never recognize it -until too late. Therefore," she said, standing up, "don't marry for ten -years. Not with such eyes and such lips," she said, passing her hand -over the flushed face of the young man. "I know what I'm speaking of. -Life's a very big world when you're alone, and a very small patch when -you're married. Wait. Think over what I've said, Teddy." - -He did think over what she had told him as he walked out into the -street. - -"She sees very clearly," he said solemnly, "and there's a great deal in -what she says--a great deal," he repeated firmly, and stopping at the -first hotel he telephoned Nan Charters. - -The next morning he received another note from her. - - -Just to repeat, Teddy dear, that I think too much of you to hold you to -what happened yesterday. We must both think _seriously--very -seriously_. - -NAN. - - -"That's right: we must think seriously," he repeated solemnly, and -reached for the papers, after eying the telephone for a long time. - -Gunther called up later in the morning to give him an astonishing bit of -news--Garraboy had sailed for Europe at nine that morning, and on the -same ship had gone Mrs. Cheever. But this news did not excite him in -the least. He spent the morning very heavily, keeping to his promise -not to telephone with great difficulty. He did not go to his club for -luncheon, but took his meal alone at a chance restaurant. - -Then he went to call on Emma Fornez. - -"Aha, you have called to talk to me about your little Charters," said -the prima donna at once. - -"How do you know?" he said bluntly. - -"It's very simple; when a man's in love he never talks it over with a -man--no, he always goes to another woman." - -"Well, would you be surprised if I married Miss Charters?" he said, glad -to have arrived at the only topic which interested him. - -"If you what!" exclaimed Mme. Fornez, catapulting from the sofa. - -"If I marry," he repeated firmly. - -"Marry? Oh, no, no, no!" she cried, with her hands on her hips and -bobbing her head to each negation. "Amuse yourself--love--flirt--break -her heart or break yours--_est-ce que je sais_--but marry? What! You -are mad!" - -"I mean it." - -"No, impossible! Marry one of us--an actress--you--a nice boy? _Allons -donc_. You ought to be shut up. Marry Charters. You might just as -well marry Emma Fornez, and when I say that--oh, la, la! My poor boy, I -pity you!" - -"But you all marry." - -"True. But what difference does it make to us?" she threw out her chin, -the gesture of the peasant. "You are serious?" - -"Very." - -"Let me talk to you. I have only a minute. My masseuse is coming and -in America one doesn't receive with a masseuse--_enfin_. Listen to me -well. You want to marry seriously--for good, then? Children and all the -rest? Well, my boy, you might just as well marry Emma Fornez and expect -her to spend her days over a ragout as to marry Charters. Will she give -up her career?" - -"We haven't thought of that." - -"It makes no difference. On the stage, off the stage, it's the same -thing. She won't change. Do you want to play the part of a valet, a -little dancing dog, _hein_? For that's just what you'll be; and one of -twenty. For she's used to crowds of men. She won't change. Love, my -dear boy, is madness, hallucination, you are drunk; but everything -returns as it was before--believe me. If I were a man I'd never fall in -love with a woman until I married her--it's easy enough then. You would -know what you're getting!" - -The masseuse came in, sliding on tiptoe from one door to another. - -"Victorine--_ma masseuse_! In a minute, in a minute, Madame Tenier. -I'll be with you in a minute. Where was I? Teddy, you do not know us -professional women--we are wrestlers, we are always struggling with you -men--I warn you. No two ways. She will never be happy, my dear -boy--because she never is happy. We are never happy, or we would not be -what we are. And what of moods, day in and day out. _Tiens_--I'll tell -you what you'll be--another Victorine. Victorine, _ou diable es-tu_? -No, no, Teddy; don't be a big fool; don't be an idiot. You are so nice. -You can amuse yourself so well. Don't put your head in a noose. If she -loves you now, she won't to-morrow; she can't help it. Then where'll -you be--in the soup, _hein_. And she? No, no, believe me, Teddy, never -marry, in the first place, and then never marry one of us." - -"There's something in what she says," thought Beecher, as he moodily -descended in the elevator. "She knows her own kind better than I do." - -He looked undecidedly at the clock and went to pay a dinner call on Mrs. -Craig Fontaine. In ten minutes they were on the same subject. - -"I am terribly upset," said the young widow. "I don't want any trouble -to come to you, and I can't help thinking that what you are considering -is a very risky step. In the first place, Teddy, you are too young." - -He made a movement of impatience at this repetition, which had begun to -offend his sense of dignity. - -"You don't know what is ahead," she said warmly. "You do not realize -that points of view change. What you seek now, romance, adventure, is -not what you'll seek at thirty-five, and life is mostly after -thirty-five, Ted. Today you are willing to sacrifice every friend in -the world for one love; tomorrow you will realize that friends are our -life, their ways, their companionship, their interests. Today you hold -yourself very cheaply; tomorrow you will wake up, look round you, see -what other women have brought to their husbands, and you will say, 'What -am I worth?'" - -"You believe in mercenary marriages, then?" he said irritably. - -"No, but I believe in staying in the same society in which you belong. -I don't want to be cruel, but Miss Charters is of another world. I know -there is nothing against her. She may be able to enter your world, and -then again she may not want to--may prefer the freedom of her own, and -you will follow her. Have you thought of that? Your friends must be -your wife's friends, or you will give them up. Marriage, Teddy, which -can be the most decisive act in a man's life, is the one he throws away -the most lightly. I'm only afraid you may wake up to what you might -have done, Teddy. You are young, eager, you are not yet bored. You may -feel the desire to be something, to do something that counts in your -life. I don't want you then to wake up and realize that another -marriage might have given you the connections you wanted, the added -opportunity. At this moment marriage appears to you the only thing that -counts; you will realize some day that it is the least thing in it." -She smiled, as he looked amazed, and added: "No amount of discussion can -make you understand these things--they must be lived. But, Teddy, -before you leap, ask yourself seriously what you are worth." - -When he left Mrs. Fontaine's presence, he did so with lagging steps. -The advice of these three women, so various and viewing life from such -divergent points of view, profoundly impressed him. He tried to argue -against what had been told him, and as this process irritated him beyond -measure, he broke off, acknowledging their superior insight. But all at -once he stopped short, enlightened by a sudden reflection. - -"If what they say is true ... why did they all marry?" - -This answer, which might seem no answer at all, appeared to the mind of -the lover, which is to say to the mind seeking to be convinced, so -complete and startling a refutation, that he swung on his heel, and went -directly to offer himself to Miss Charters. - - - - - *EPILOGUE* - - -Three years after the close of these events there were gathered in a box -of the Metropolitan Opera, Mr. and Mrs. Gunther, senior, the Teddy -Beechers, Bruce Gunther and a Miss Clarice Fanning, of the Virginia -Fannings, a young girl demure, direct, with already in the youthful -instincts of her pose more than a suggestion of the dignity and elegance -which would come to grace the woman. From time to time, by a little -movement of her fan, she brought to her shoulder for a whispered comment -Bruce Gunther, who, though he had seated himself behind Mrs. Beecher, -was compensated by the advantage of thus exchanging glances. All these -little messages, which the young girl flattered herself were so cleverly -executed as to remain invisible, were seen by every one in the box with -discreet enjoyment. - -At the end of the act the two young men excused themselves and departed -to make a round of visits. - -"Nan's charming, Ted," said Gunther, who saw them both for the first -time since their long stay in Europe. He added with the extra -enthusiasm with which a man of the world conveys his surprise at an -unexpected development: "By George! she has the manners of a duchess! -The governor, crabby old critic, too, is quite won over by her." - -"She has developed beautifully," said Beecher, with a certain -proprietary responsibility which young husbands feel deeply. "She is a -remarkable woman! ... remarkable!" - -"Well, you fooled all the prophets," said Gunther in his blunt way. - -"How so?" - -"We gave you a year, at the most," said Gunther, who stopped short and -looked at his friend as though to ask the explanation of such a miracle. - -"My wife adores me," said Beecher, with a smile. - -Gunther smiled to himself and thought that if the wife had developed as -though by right into the sure and brilliant woman of the world, the -husband at heart had retained the same boyish irreverence of the -mysterious depths of life. - -"You ought to get into something, Ted," he said abruptly. "You can't -loaf in America! ... I'll give you an opening." - -"That's why the Missus brought me back," said Beecher. "Look out, I may -take up that offer!" - -This reply, unconsciously delivered, gave Gunther the first glimpse of -light into the perplexing success of his friend's marriage. - -"Well, where's the first call?" he said, registering in his mind this -last perception. - -"I want to drop in on Mrs. Fontaine, Mrs. Slade," ... he considered a -moment and added, "Mrs. Bloodgood, too, I am anxious to see..." - -"Don't forget Emma Fornez ... you ought to go behind," said Gunther, for -the opera was _Carmen_. - -"Yes," said Beecher, with a little hesitation. - -"Next act ... Let's drop in on Louise Fontaine, first..." - -"There are reasons ... just at present..." said Gunther with a slight -frown. "Anyhow, here's Slade's box--let's begin here." - -Mrs. Slade at their entrance rose directly, and came to meet them in the -antechamber. - -"How nice of you to come here first," she said with genuine pleasure, -extending both her hands. "Mr. Gunther, go into the box ... I want a few -minutes alone with Teddy!" She turned to Beecher, motioning him to a -seat on the cushioned settee in the little pink and white room that was -like a jewel box. "I saw you at once ... Your wife has made a -sensation!" - -"It is you, Rita, who are astonishing!" he said abruptly. - -"How so?" she said, already comprehending the frank wonder in his eyes. - -"You always did fascinate us, you know," he said, reclining a bit, the -better to take in the elegant sinuosities of her pose. "But that was -nothing to you now ... You are the opera itself!" - -"Not quite yet," she said, with a confident little bob of the head. She -added, "I am happy!" - -In truth, just as men of conscious greatness who, in the period of their -struggles, have a certain brusque and impatient unease, suddenly in the -day of their success acquire a dignity and a radiating charm that -astonishes, so in her a similar transformation had operated. The old -feline restlessness, the swift and nervous changes from Slavic -somnolence to sparkling energy, has been subdued in a clear serenity, -and as she received the flattering tribute of the young man who had been -associated with her period of uncertainty, there was in her smile a new -graciousness that was not without its authority. - -"You too are happy!--it shows!" she said after the moment which she -allowed Beecher to study her. - -"Very!" - -"You have children?" - -"Two." Then recalling with a little pardonable malice the intention of -his visit, he said: "You were a bad prophet, Rita! ... You remember?" - -"I do." - -"Well?..." - -"Well, I underestimated your intelligence, my dear Teddy," she said, -with a fugitive smile. "You are settling in America?" - -"Yes, the Missus has planned to make me a captain of finance," he said -with a laugh. "However, I am ready for something active." - -"Tell your wife," she said irrelevantly, "that I will come to see her -after the next act. My husband returns tomorrow ... save the night -after for us ... I want to be as good a friend to her as you have been -to me! ... Give my message exactly!" - -"I promise!" - -All at once his eyes, which had been searching, rested on her left hand. -On the fourth finger, guarded by the gold band of her marriage, was the -ruby ring. - -"It's the same, isn't it?" he asked. - -"I always wear it," she said, raising it to her eyes. "It is a fetish." - -"We ran across Garraboy a couple of times ... He married her, you know." - -"She married him, you mean..." - -"Yes, that would be more correct ... watches the beggar like a hound ... -a pleasant life he has of it! ... By the way, did the story about the -ring ever leak out?" - -"Never!" She rose, as though feeling the end of the intermission. -"Tell me one thing, Teddy...." - -"A dozen!" - -"Did you tell your wife I advised you not to marry?" - -"Never!" - -"Don't! ... There are things a woman doesn't forgive, and I want to be -good friends!" - -Beecher nodded. - -Gunther came out, and she gave them her fingers, remaining tall and -stately, her head inclined a little pensively, until they had left. - -"Most remarkable woman here!" said Gunther briefly. "In a year or so -more she'll be the undisputed leader." - -"What about John G.?" - -"The coming man. You know we're in close relations with him. The -Governor has a great admiration for him, and you know it isn't often the -Governor is taken that way!" - -"What's he doing?" - -"Railroad unification, territorial development ... only man in this -country who can appreciate what the Canadian Pacific is doing!" - -"I thought he was considered rather a freebooter?" - -"So he was. Big men change when they get what they want. He had an -interview with the old man, and laid his cards on the table. Governor -said it was the frankest confidence he'd ever heard. When he went into -the railroad field, it was at the mercy of a lot of clever little -stock-jobbers, who were playing it like a game of roulette. Slade's -driven 'em out, broken their backs, bankrupted them ... Oh! he strikes -hard! ... Now there's a real railroad policy, with a national object." - -"You seem quite enthusiastic over him yourself," said Beecher, glancing -at the plates on the boxes. - -"I am. He's a constructive ... that's what we want!" - -"When did all this happen?" - -"A couple of months after that affair of the Atlantic Trust." - -Beecher stopped, and with a gesture showed his companion a plate on -which was inscribed: - - ENOS BLOODGOOD. - - -"I never can forget Majendie that night," he said, sobered by the -recollection of the events in which he had been such an agitated -spectator. "By Jove, he was true blue!" - -"If he'd had the nerve to face the music he'd be a rich man to-day," -said Gunther, meditatively. - -"The Atlantic Trust is stronger than ever. Of course, technically, -Majendie did things he had no right to do, but do you know, every -investment he made has turned out enormously profitable! Queer how one -man drops out and another pops up." - -"I wonder how much of it was business, and how much was..." Beecher -broke off and a second time gestured in the direction of the box. - -"Who knows?" said Gunther, with a shrug of his shoulders. - -Beecher glanced down the corridor to assure himself there was yet time, -and opened the door. - -In the front row of the box Mrs. Bloodgood was laughing gaily with three -or four young men who were bending flatteringly over her. In the back -Bloodgood was seated, dozing in a corner. Beecher hardly recognized -him. Of the once rugged physique nothing remained but a senile -fluttering. Some mysterious disease had struck him down and marked his -hours. At this moment Mrs. Bloodgood, aware of a shadow in the doorway, -turned and met the profound and memory-troubled gaze of the young man. -She recognized him and in the same moment divined his thoughts. By a -movement which she could not control, she brought her fan, which had -been extended in a tantalizing gesture under the eyes of one of her -satellites, into a protective barrier, as though to shield herself from -the too frank melancholy of this disturbing gaze. Their eyes met. -Beecher inclined his head. It was at the same time a salutation and an -adieu. - -He found Gunther outside their box. - -"The old fellow's in a pretty bad way," said his friend, noticing his -disturbed look. - -"It wasn't that!..." - -"Yes,--she's taking her revenge!" said Gunther with a laugh. - -To shake off this impression Beecher touched his friend on the arm, and -forcing a smile, said, with a nod towards the box where Miss Fanning was -waiting: - -"So it's serious, Bruce?" - -"But not for publication..." said Gunther with a nod. - -Beecher would have liked to put a further question, one which had -presented itself already at the thought of Louise Fontaine; but he -refrained, for he was aware in his friend of a certain new grimness and -implacability of purpose which, as in his father, had the effect of -withdrawing him from the ordinary club familiarity. - -After the second act he went behind the scenes to greet Emma Fornez, who -had just received an ovation. - -The diva, with the same cry of delight in which she recognized him, -asked him what he thought of her success. - -"You have reached the top.... Every new _Carmen_ must now be advertised -as greater than Emma Fornez!" he answered with a bow. - -"Ah, you have learned how to make compliments! ... Bravo!" she -exclaimed. She advanced her head, pointing to a little spot under her -jeweled ear. "There! ... your recompense! ... You look as big a boy as -ever! ... Tell me everything--all at once! ... Victorine, close the -door. I see no one--_tu m'entends_? ... I am too red tonight, _hein_?" - -"Not from the boxes!" - -"_Si, si_! ... I must be more pale ... Sit down, sit down!" She -enveloped her shoulders in a shawl, and studied her face in the flashing -mirror, pulling her make-up box towards her. "You have come back ... -for good, Teddy?" - -"Yes!" - -"You are always married?" - -"Yes!" - -"That's a pity--_enfin_! ... Happy?" - -"Very!" - -"Too bad! ... And you have come _pour tirer la langue a Emma Fornez_ ... -who tried to frighten you!" - -"Exactly!" said Beecher, laughing. - -"Oh, you needn't be so conceited about it! If you are still living -together--it is because ..." she stopped a moment to correct the beady -fringe of the eyes, "because your wife is a very, very clever woman!" - -"What?" - -"Oh, just that! ... and because she finds she can lead you around -conveniently by the nose ... just so!" She leaned over and illustrated -her meaning with a little tweak before he could defend himself. - -"I see, you are quite furious that we are not divorced!" - -She shrugged her shoulders. - -"How many months is it?..." - -"Three years ... Three and a half!" - -"Bah! there is still hope!" - -To tease her for this, he drew back, grinning with elation. - -"Oh, you are having a beautiful time of it!" she said, watching him in -the mirror. "It amuses you very much! ... But just you wait!" She -raised her hand, counting the fingers. "Three, four, five--five years! -That is the worst bridge of all! ... Even my old Jacquot--poor -soul--stood me for five years! ... Just wait!" Then, struck by a sudden -reflection, she proceeded to revenge herself. "If you are happy, I was -right, after all! You remember ... first time I saw Charters ... I said -'it is not an actress, it is a woman!' ..." She emphasized the point -with a satisfied shrug. "I was right, and there you are!" - -"Well, Emma, don't let's fight," he said, hugely amused. "I'm glad to -see you again!" - -"I, too," she said, tapping his arm, and turning her darkened face -towards him for better inspection. "Better so, _hein_? ... So you are -rich now, Teddy ... An uncle was good enough to die?" - -"Two!..." - -"Ah! ... what a pity! ... And now you are spoiled!" She began to soften -the shadows of the eyes. "Tell me one thing..." - -"Yes?..." - -"You ... you did not tell her--the wife--about our little -conspiracy?--the night of the cowboy party, _hein_?..." As he hesitated -she caught the accusatory look in his eyes, and she wheeled about. -"_Comment_! ... You were so stupid! ... _Dieu! que les hommes sont -sots_!" - -"Nonsense! ... she laughed over it!" he said, recovering himself. -"Besides, she had guessed it already!" - -"My dear Teddy," she said, in very bad humor, "I take back all I said -... You were born a husband--typical! ideal!--You would be content with -any one! ... with Victorine, even!" - -She flung the rabbit's foot furiously among the pigments. - -"_Allons_, we might just as well say adieu!" - -"Why?" - -"She does not know you have come?" - -"No, but..." - -"Well, well ... don't be fool enough to tell her! ... Go right back now. -Make a call in some box where she can see you, and escape a good..." -She stopped, shaking her hand in the direction of his ear. - -"You are mistaken!" he began, flushing. "You don't know her..." - -"Mistaken ... tra-la-la! ... and I know her! ... All I have to do is to -see you, my poor Teddy, to understand ... absolutely ... in every little -detail ... the woman who makes you so ... So--adieu!" - -"It is not as tragic as all that," he said, laughing, but giving his -hand. - -"Adieu! ... adieu!" - -"I may come back ... when I am divorced?" - -"That will never happen!" she persisted, vindictively. "She has tamed -you ... you are a domestic animal ... a house pet ... like the cat and -the poodle dog!" - -"_Au revoir_, Emma," he said, refusing to be irritated. - -"Not good-by!" She took up a thread, broke it with a vicious jerk, and -let the ends float away. "Victorine, _depeche-toi donc_!" - -Beecher, who had started with the intention of extracting a legitimate -revenge, had received little satisfaction from his two interviews. -Nevertheless, he was not so naive as to reject Emma Fornez's advice. He -went directly to Mrs. Craig Fontaine's box. Louise, as though she had -waited impatiently his coming, started at once from her chair, meeting -him in the privacy of the antechamber. He was struck at once by the -constrained tensity of her glance. - -"You are in the Gunthers' box," she said, directly the first greetings -were over. "Where is Bruce? Why didn't he come with you?" - -"We separated. I went behind to see Madame Fornez..." he said lamely. - -She was not deceived by his answer, made a rapid calculation and said -abruptly: - -"Teddy, tell me the truth. Don't refuse me! ... You may be doing me a -favor ... the greatest! ... Is Bruce engaged? That little girl in the -box?" - -Between them there had been the fullest loyalty, and a confidence since -school days. He was not ignorant, therefore, of her infatuation for his -friend, though what dramatic turn it might have taken in the years of -his absence, he could only speculate. - -"Yes, it is true," he said. "It is not to be known ... With you, -Louise, it is different: you ought to know!" - -She sat down, and he was frightened by the swift, ashen pallor that -rushed into her face. Alarmed, he made a movement towards her. - -"Wait!" she said, faintly. "There are two questions I must ask ... Did -he, Bruce, send you to tell me this?" - -"No...." He hesitated, surprised at the question, adding: "That is, I -think not...." - -"Is it to be public--immediately?" - -"No, not at once ... I am sure of that!" - -She nodded her head with a little relief, and, incapable of speech, -raised her hand weakly as though to excuse herself, then laid it over -her heart. He rose, turning his back, steadying himself. At the end of -a long moment she touched him on the shoulder. - -"I will come ... tomorrow ... and call on your wife," she said, quietly. -"Give her my very best wishes, will you? ... And ... thank you! ... You -have done me a great service!..." - -When he reached his box Bruce was waiting for him. - -"You saw Louise?" he said directly. - -"Yes!" - -"You told her?" - -"Yes, I told her." - -"That was right!" - -They hesitated a moment, one whether to question, the other whether to -explain. - -"I admire her as much as any woman," said Gunther, at last. "She made -only one blunder ... At that, Fate was against her." - -This answer, and the way it was delivered, was all that Beecher was -permitted to understand of an episode which deserves a novel to itself. -Nevertheless, he felt that there must have been something far out of the -ordinary to have brought forth from Gunther this eulogy, which sounded -at the moment like an epitaph. - -When Beecher entered the lights were up on the act. During the time in -which he had been absent, his wife, too, had been a prey to dramatic -moods. The stage and the world had been before her eyes as the choices -of her own life. She comprehended what Beecher did not, all the -advantages of her first appearance in New York under the patronage of -the Gunthers, that was in itself a social cachet. Mrs. Slade's -flattering visit, as well as the accented cordiality of acquaintances -who had bowed to her from their boxes, made her feel how easy would be -her way in this world, so easy of access by one entrance and so hostile -by a thousand others. She was satisfied. Her doubts, if she had -yielded to them a moment, were gone. She had talked to Gunther of what -she wanted for her husband, and made of him a friend, not insensible to -the reason of the charm which she had exerted. But in the moment in -which the social world presented itself to her as the endless stretching -Pacific flashed upon the dazzled eyes of Balboa, she felt a sudden sense -of loneliness and the need of support. She rested her hand on the -strong-muscled arm of her husband, and designating with a smile the -young girl who was so artlessly and artfully conveying her impatient -delight at Bruce's return, she sent her husband one of those looks which -only a perfectly happy woman has the power to retain ... that first -fugitive, timid offering in the eyes of lovers. - - -The next day Mrs. Craig Fontaine's engagement was announced in all the -papers. It was a romance of long standing ... the engagement now made -public for the first time was supposed to have lasted several months, -etc. - - -Mrs. Slade had more than fulfilled her promise towards McKenna. Through -her active friendship not only had he secured the entire patronage of -her husband, but had finally acquired the coveted field of the Bankers' -Association of America. His agency had tripled in its ramifications and -its power. This man, who perceived clearly all the relative, often -confusing, shades of morality, was at the bottom an idealist. He -undertook two great campaigns: one which resulted in the exposing of the -mysterious suzerainty over corrupt politics of a group of outwardly -respectable capitalists; and the other in the purification of a great -labor union from a band of terrorists, who were betraying their ideals -and selling their sympathies. He had still one ambition, which he had -confided alone to Mrs. Slade, to whom he was able to render in this -period two invaluable services--he wished one day to become Police -Commissioner of New York City, and create, in that cemetery of -reputations, a great police system that would vie with the systems of -Paris and London. - -Often Bruce Gunther would run into his office at the close of the -afternoon. He appreciated the integrity of the detective, and he used -him as he was learning to use many men ... as so many windows through -which to look out on life. Gunther had not been entirely the dupe of -Rita Kildair's explanation as to the theft of the ring. Above the -mantelpiece in the inner office of McKenna, framed in simple -passe-partout, hung the two clippings of the same date: one the bare -statement of the bank's support of the Associated Trust, and underneath -the engagement of Rita Kildair and John G. Slade. - -These dramatically aligned scraps of information for the public, never -ceased to intrigue him. Many a time he considered a direct question, -but refrained from respect. One day, however, pushed to the verge by -his curiosity, he said abruptly: - -"McKenna, are you going to write your memoirs, some day?" - -"Perhaps--some day!" - -"You ought to--Publication fifty years from now." - -"May be ... may be!" - -"And that affair of the ring," said Gunther, pointing to the notices. -"Will you tell the truth about that?" - -"What! Write down my mistakes?" - -"Was it a mistake?" - -McKenna nodded, gazing at the mantelpiece meditatively, with an -expression that was indecipherable. - -"Bad mistake!" - -"But I should say one of those failures that are sometimes rather -fortunate?" persisted Gunther. - -"Well, it's a good thing to know how to turn a failure to account. -That's why a few of us get ahead," said McKenna in a matter-of-fact way, -but for a moment Gunther seemed to perceive the faintest trace of a -smile, lurking maliciously in the corners of his eyes. - - - - - - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE SIXTY-FIRST SECOND *** - - - - -A Word from Project Gutenberg - - -We will update this book if we find any errors. - -This book can be found under: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/37113 - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so -the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright royalties. -Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this -license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg(tm) -electronic works to protect the Project Gutenberg(tm) concept and -trademark. 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