"But why?" Mary inquired, with a tantalizing assumption of innocence."I'm not going away.""On the Twentieth Century Limited, this afternoon," the Inspector declared, in a voice of growing wrath.
"Oh, dear, no!" Mary's assertion was made very quietly, but with an underlying firmness that irritated the official beyond endurance.
"I say yes!" The answer was a bellow.
Mary appeared distressed, not frightened.Her words were an ironic protest against the man's obstreperous noisiness, no more.
"I thought you wanted quiet words with me."Burke went toward her, in a rage.
"Now, look here, Mollie----" he began harshly.
On the instant, Mary was on her feet, facing him, and there was a gleam in her eyes as they met his that bade him pause.
"Miss Turner, if you don't mind." She laughed slightly."For the present, anyway." She reseated herself tranquilly.
Burke was checked, but he retained his severity of bearing.
"I'm giving you your orders.You will either go to Chicago, or you'll go up the river."Mary answered in a voice charged with cynicism.
"If you can convict me.Pray, notice that little word 'if'."The District Attorney interposed very suavely.
"I did once, remember."
"But you can't do it again," Mary declared, with an assurance that excited the astonishment of the police official.
"How do you know he can't?" he blustered.
Mary laughed in a cadence of genial merriment.
"Because," she replied gaily, "if he could, he would have had me in prison some time ago."Burke winced, but he made shift to conceal his realization of the truth she had stated to him.
"Huh!" he exclaimed gruffly."I've seen them go up pretty easy."Mary met the assertion with a serenity that was baffling.
"The poor ones," she vouchsafed; "not those that have money.Ihave money, plenty of money--now."
"Money you stole!" the Inspector returned, brutally.
"Oh, dear, no!" Mary cried, with a fine show of virtuous indignation.
"What about the thirty thousand dollars you got on that partnership swindle?" Burke asked, sneering."I s'pose you didn't steal that!""Certainly not," was the ready reply."The man advertised for a partner in a business sure to bring big and safe returns.Ianswered.The business proposed was to buy a tract of land, and subdivide it.The deeds to the land were all forged, and the supposed seller was his confederate, with whom he was to divide the money.We formed a partnership, with a capital of sixty thousand dollars.We paid the money into the bank, and then at once I drew it out.You see, he wanted to get my money illegally, but instead I managed to get his legally.For it was legal for me to draw that money--wasn't it, Mr.Demarest?"The District Attorney by an effort retained his severe expression of righteous disapprobation, but he admitted the truth of her contention.
"Unfortunately, yes," he said gravely."A partner has the right to draw out any, or all, of the partnership funds.""And I was a partner," Mary said contentedly."You, see, Inspector, you wrong me--you do, really! I'm not a swindler; I'm a financier."Burke sneered scornfully.
"Well," he roared, "you'll never pull another one on me.You can gamble on that!"Mary permitted herself to laugh mockingly in the face of the badgered official.
"Thank you for telling me," she said, graciously."And let me say, incidentally, that Miss Lynch at the present moment is painlessly extracting ten thousand dollars from General Hastings in a perfectly legal manner, Inspector Burke.""Well, anyhow," Burke shouted, "you may stay inside the law, but you've got to get outside the city." He tried to employ an elephantine bantering tone."On the level, now, do you think you could get away with that young Gilder scheme you've been planning?"Mary appeared puzzled.
"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 document 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 passive 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 document 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 Ihave 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 assertion."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.
