Part 24 (1/2)

”What young Gilder scheme?” she asked, her brows drawn in bewilderment.

”Oh, I'm wise--I'm wise!” the Inspector cried roughly. ”The answer is, once for all, leave town this afternoon, or you'll be in the Tombs in the morning.”

Abruptly, a change came over the woman. Hitherto, she had been cynical, sarcastic, laughing, careless, impudent. Now, of a sudden, she was all seriousness, and she spoke with a gravity that, despite their volition, impressed both the men before her.

”It can't be done, Inspector,” she said, sedately.

The declaration, simple as it was, aroused the official to new indignation.

”Who says it can't?” he vociferated, overflowing with anger at this flouting of the authority he represented.

Mary opened a drawer of the desk, and took out the doc.u.ment obtained that morning from Harris, and held it forth.

”This,” she replied, succinctly.

”What's this?” Burke stormed. But he took the paper.

Demarest looked over the Inspector's shoulder, and his eyes grew larger as he read. When he was at an end of the reading, he regarded the pa.s.sive woman at the desk with a new respect.

”What's this?” Burke repeated helplessly. It was not easy for him to interpret the legal phraseology. Mary was kind enough to make the doc.u.ment clear to him.

”It's a temporary restraining order from the Supreme Court, instructing you to let me alone until you have legal proof that I have broken the law.... Do you get that, Mr. Inspector Burke?”

The plethoric official stared hard at the injunction.

”Another new one,” he stuttered finally. Then his anger sought vent in violent a.s.sertion. ”But it can't be done!” he shouted.

”You might ask Mr. Demarest,” Mary suggested, pleasantly, ”as to whether or not it can be done. The gambling houses can do it, and so keep on breaking the law. The race track men can do it, and laugh at the law.

The railroad can do it, to restrain its employees from striking. So, why shouldn't I get one, too? You see, I have money. I can buy all the law I want. And there's nothing you can't do with the law, if you have money enough.... Ask Mr. Demarest. He knows.”

Burke was fairly gasping over this outrage against his authority.

”Can you beat that!” he rumbled with a raucously sonorous vehemence.

He regarded Mary with a stare of almost reverential wonder. ”A crook appealing to the law!”

There came a new note into the woman's voice as she answered the gibe.

”No, simply getting justice,” she said simply. ”That's the remarkable part of it.” She threw off her serious air. ”Well, gentlemen,” she concluded, ”what are you going to do about it?”

Burke explained.

”This is what I'm going to do about it. One way or another, I'm going to get you.”

The District Attorney, however, judged it advisable to use more persuasive methods.

”Miss Turner,” he said, with an appearance of sincerity, ”I'm going to appeal to your sense of fair play.”

Mary's s.h.i.+ning eyes met his for a long moment, and before the challenge in hers, his fell. He remembered then those doubts that had a.s.sailed him when this girl had been sentenced to prison, remembered the half-hearted plea he had made in her behalf to Richard Gilder.