As he stood before a window near a corner, his ears were assailed by a waxing clamour and commotion.He stood close to the window to allow passage to the cause of the hubbub -- a procession of human beings, which rounded the corner aid headed in his direction.He perceived a salient hue of blue and a glitter of brass about a central figure of dazzling white and silver, and a ragged wake of black, bobbing figures.
Two ponderous policemen Were conducting between them a woman dressed as if for the stage, in a short, white, satiny skirt reaching to the knees, pink stockings, and a sort of sleeveless bodice bright with relucent, armour-like scales.Upon her curly, light hair was perched, at a rollicking angle, a shining tin helmet.The costume was to be instantly recognized as one of those amazing con-ceptions to which competition has harried the inventors of the spectacular ballet.One of the officers bore a long cloak upon his axm, which, doubtless, had been intended to veil the I candid attractions of their effulgent prisoner, but, for some reason, it had not been called into use, to the vociferous delight of the tail of the procession.
Compelled by a sudden and vigorous movement of the woman, the parade halted before the window by which Lorison stood.He saw that she was young, and, at the first glance, was deceived by a sophistical prettiness of her face, which waned before a more judicious scrutiny.
Her look was bold and reckless, and upon her countenance, where yet the contours of youth survived, were the finger-marks of old age's credentialed courier, Late Hours.
The young woman fixed her unshrinking gaze upon Lorison, and called to him in the voice of the wronged heroine in straits:
"Say! You look like a good fellow; come and put up the bail, won't you? I've done nothing to get pinched for.It's all a mistake.See how they're treating me!
You won't be sorry, if you'll help me out of this.Think of your sister or your girl being dragged along the streets this way! I say, come along now, like a good fellow."It may be that Lorison, in spite of the unconvincing bathos of this appeal, showed a sympathetic face, for one of the officers left the woman's side, and went over to him.
"It's all right, Sir," he said, in a husky, confidential tone; "she's the right party.We took her after the first act at the Green Light Theatre, on a wire from the chief of police of Chicago.It's only a square or two to the station.Her rig's pretty bad, but she refused to change clothes -- or, rather," added the officer, with a smile, "to put on some.I thought I'd explain matters to you so you wouldn't think she was being imposed upon.""What is the charge?" asked Lorison.
"Grand larceny.Diamonds.Her husband is a jeweller in Chicago.She cleaned his show case of the sparklers, and skipped with a comic-opera troupe."The policeman, perceiving that the interest of the entire group of spectators was centred upon himself and Lorison -- their conference being regarded as a possible new com-plication -- was fain to prolong the situation -- which reflected his own importance -- by a little afterpiece of philosophical comment.
"A gentleman like you, Sir," he went on affably, "would never notice it, but it comes in my line to observe what an immense amount of trouble is made by that com-bination -- I mean the stage, diamonds and light-headed women who aren't satisfied with good homes.I tell you, Sir, a man these days and nights wants to know what his women folks are up to."The policeman smiled a good night, and returned to the side of his charge, who had been intently watching Lorison's face during the conversation, no doubt for some indication of his intention to render succour.Now, at the failure of the sign, and at the movement made to continue the ignominious progress, she abandoned hope, and addressed him thus, pointedly:
"You damn chalk-faced quitter! You was thinking of giving me a hand, but you let the cop talk you out of it the first word.You're a dandy to tie to.Say, if you ever get a girl, she'll have a picnic.Won't she work you to the queen's taste! Oh, my!" She concluded with a taunting, shrill laugh that rasped Lorison like a saw.The policemen urged her forward; the delighted train of gaping followers closed up the rear; and the captive Amazon, accepting her fate, extended the scope of her maledictions so that none in hearing might seem to be slighted.
Then there came upon Lorison an overwhelming revulsion of his perspective.It may be that he had been ripe for it, that the abnormal condition of mind in which he had for so long existed was already about to revert to its balance; however, it is certain that the events of the last few minutes had furnished the channel, if not the impetus, for the change.
The initial determining influence had been so small a thing as the fact and manner of his having been approached by the officer.That agent had, by the style of his accost, restored the loiterer to his former place in society.In an instant he had been transformed from a somewhat rancid prowler along the fishy side streets of gentility into an honest gentleman, with whom even so lordly a guardian of the peace might agreeably exchange the compliments.
This, then, first broke the spell, and set thrilling in him a resurrected longing for the fellowship of his kind, and the rewards of the virtuous.To what end, he vehemently asked himself, was this fanciful self-accusation, this empty renunciation, this moral squeamishness through which he had been led to abandon what was his heritage in life, and not beyond his deserts? Technically, he was uncondemned; his sole guilty spot was in thought rather than deed, and cognizance of it unshared by others.For what good, moral or sentimental, did he slink, retreating like the hedgehog from his own shadow, to and fro in this musty Bohemia that lacked even the picturesque?
