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