Part 45 (1/2)
The chaplain s.h.i.+fted his ground.
”All the same, there are certain laws that among all peoples and at all times have been considered fundamental. Human society can't permit a man to steal-”
”Then human society shouldn't put a man in a position where he either has to steal or starve to death.”
There was a repet.i.tion of the thin, ghostly smile.
”Oh, well, no one who's ordinarily honest and industrious ever-”
”Ever starves to death? That's a lie. Excuse me,” he added, apologetically, ”but that kind of talk just gets my goat. My father practically starved to death-he died from lack of proper nourishment, the doctor said-and there never was a more industrious or an honester man born. He gave everything he had to human society, and when he had no more to give, human society kicked him out. It has the law on its side, too, and because”-he gulped-”I came to his help in the only way I knew how they've chucked me into this black hole.”
The chaplain found another kind of opening.
”So, you see, my boy, there's that. If you don't keep the law-”
”They can make you suffer for it,” Teddy declared, excitedly. ”Of course they can. They've made me suffer-G.o.d! how they've made me suffer-more, I believe, than anyone since Jesus Christ! But that's not what we were talking about. You started in to tell me that it's _right_ for me to suffer the way they're making me. That's what I kick against, and I'll keep on kicking till they send me to the chair.”
”If you could do yourself any good by that-”
But just here the dialogue was interrupted by the appearance of Boole, the dapper, debonair young guard who generally announced Teddy's afternoon visitors.
”h.e.l.lo, old cuss! Gent to see you.”
The chaplain prepared to move on to the neighboring cell. His leave-taking was kindly and with a great pity in it.
”We'll go on with this talk again, my boy. When you're able to get the right point of view-”
What would happen then was drowned in the clanging of the door behind him, as Teddy stepped out into the corridor.
”Who is it? Stenhouse?” he asked, as he walked along with the guard.
He had already dropped into the prisoner's habitual tone of hostile friendliness toward the officials with whom he came most in contact, recognizing the fact that had he met any of these men ”on the outside”
they would have hobn.o.bbed together with the freemasonry of American young men everywhere. On their sides the keepers, apart from the fact that they considered Teddy ”a tough lot,” had ceased to show him animosity.
”It's not the lawyer,” Boole answered now. ”It's a swell guy with a limp. Looks to me as if he might be the gay young banker sport that the papers say is married to your sister.”
Teddy felt his heart contracting in a spasm of dread. The one fact he knew of his brother-in-law was that he had sent him Stenhouse, one of the three or four lawyers most famous at the New Jersey bar for saving lives. This detail, too, the boy had learned from Boole.
”You'll not get the cur'nt, with him to defend you, believe _me_. Some bird! If he can't prove you innocent, he'll find a flaw in the law or the indictment or somethin'. Why, they say he once got a guy off, a Pole, the fella was, just on the spellin' of his name.”
Having been warned by Stenhouse not to discuss his case with anyone, Teddy was discreetly silent. As a matter of fact, he had too much to think of to be inclined to talk. The circ.u.mstance that ”young Coll” had become a relative was one of which he was just beginning to seize the importance. His bruised mind had been unable at first to apprehend it.
Slowly he was coming to the realized knowledge that he was allied to that Olympian race which the Collinghams represented to the Folletts, and that, at least, some of their power was engaged on his behalf.
It was confusing. Since the might that had struck him down was also coming to his aid, the issue was no longer clear-cut. To have all the right on one side and all the wrong on the other had simplified life.
Now, a right that was partly wrong and a wrong that was partly right had been personified, as it were, in this union through which a Collingham had become a Follett, and a Follett a Collingham.
Young Coll was standing where Jennie had stood on the first occasion of Teddy's coming to the visitors' room. He too waited with a smile. The minute he saw the lad appear timidly on the threshold he limped forward with outstretched hand.
”h.e.l.lo, Teddy!” His embarra.s.sment, being a kindly embarra.s.sment, was without awkwardness. ”You didn't know I was going to be your brother the last time you saw me, did you?”