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。