Within the Law [52]
She spoke with an emphasis that brooked no evasion.
"What was your promise? I told you that I wouldn't go with you until you had brought your father to me, and he had wished us happiness." Dick placed his hands gently on his wife's shoulders and regarded her with a touch of indignation in his gaze.
"Mary," he said reproachfully, "you are not going to hold me to that promise?"
The answer was given with a decisiveness that admitted of no question, and there was a hardness in her face that emphasized the words.
"I am going to hold you to that promise, Dick."
For a few seconds, the young man stared at her with troubled eyes. Then he moved impatiently, and dropped his hands from her shoulders. But his usual cheery smile came again, and he shrugged resignedly.
"All right, Mrs. Gilder," he said, gaily. The sound of the name provoked him to new pleasure. "Sounds fine, doesn't it?" he demanded, with an uxorious air.
"Yes," Mary said, but there was no enthusiasm in her tone.
The husband went on speaking with no apparent heed of his wife's indifference.
"You pack up what things you need, girlie," he directed. "Just a few--because they sell clothes in Paris. And they are some class, believe me! And meantime, I'll run down to Dad's office, and have him back here in half an hour. You will be all ready, won't you?"
Mary answered quickly, with a little catching of her breath, but still coldly.
"Yes, yes, I'll be ready. Go and bring your father."
"You bet I will," Dick cried heartily. He would have taken her in his arms again, but she evaded the caress. "What's the matter?" he demanded, plainly at a loss to understand this repulse.
"Nothing!" was the ambiguous answer.
"Just one!" Dick pleaded.
"No," the bride replied, and there was determination in the monosyllable.
It was evident that Dick perceived the futility of argument.
"For a married woman you certainly are shy," he replied, with a sly glance toward Aggie, who beamed back sympathy. "You'll excuse me, won't you, Miss Lynch,... Good-by, Mrs. Gilder." He made a formal bow to his wife. As he hurried to the door, he expressed again his admiration for the name. "Mrs. Gilder! Doesn't that sound immense?" And with that he was gone.
There was silence in the drawing-room until the two women heard the closing of the outer door of the apartment. Then, at last, Aggie relieved her pent-up emotions in a huge sigh that was near a groan.
"Oh Gawd!" she gasped. "The poor simp!"
CHAPTER XIII. THE ADVENT OF GRIGGS.
Later on, Garson, learning from the maid that Dick Gilder had left, returned, just as Mary was glancing over the release, with which General Hastings was to be compensated, along with the return of his letters, for his payment of ten thousand dollars to Miss Agnes Lynch.
"Hello, Joe," Mary said graciously as the forger entered. Then she spoke crisply to Agnes. "And now you must get ready. You are to be at Harris's office with this document at four o'clock, and remember that you are to let the lawyer manage everything."
Aggie twisted her doll-like face into a grimace.
"It gets my angora that I'll have to miss Pa Gilder's being led like a lamb to the slaughter-house." And that was the nearest the little adventuress ever came to making a Biblical quotation.
"Anyhow," she protested, "I don't see the use of all this monkey business here. All I want is the coin." But she hurried obediently, nevertheless, to get ready for the start.
Garson regarded Mary quizzically.
"It's lucky for her that she met you," he said. "She's got no more brains than a gnat."
"And brains are mighty useful things, even in our business," Mary replied seriously; "particularly in our business."
"I should say they were," Garson agreed. "You have proved that."
Aggie came back, putting on her gloves, and cocking her small head very primly under the enormous hat that was garnished with costliest plumes. It was thus that she consoled herself in a measure for the business of the occasion--in lieu of cracked
"What was your promise? I told you that I wouldn't go with you until you had brought your father to me, and he had wished us happiness." Dick placed his hands gently on his wife's shoulders and regarded her with a touch of indignation in his gaze.
"Mary," he said reproachfully, "you are not going to hold me to that promise?"
The answer was given with a decisiveness that admitted of no question, and there was a hardness in her face that emphasized the words.
"I am going to hold you to that promise, Dick."
For a few seconds, the young man stared at her with troubled eyes. Then he moved impatiently, and dropped his hands from her shoulders. But his usual cheery smile came again, and he shrugged resignedly.
"All right, Mrs. Gilder," he said, gaily. The sound of the name provoked him to new pleasure. "Sounds fine, doesn't it?" he demanded, with an uxorious air.
"Yes," Mary said, but there was no enthusiasm in her tone.
The husband went on speaking with no apparent heed of his wife's indifference.
"You pack up what things you need, girlie," he directed. "Just a few--because they sell clothes in Paris. And they are some class, believe me! And meantime, I'll run down to Dad's office, and have him back here in half an hour. You will be all ready, won't you?"
Mary answered quickly, with a little catching of her breath, but still coldly.
"Yes, yes, I'll be ready. Go and bring your father."
"You bet I will," Dick cried heartily. He would have taken her in his arms again, but she evaded the caress. "What's the matter?" he demanded, plainly at a loss to understand this repulse.
"Nothing!" was the ambiguous answer.
"Just one!" Dick pleaded.
"No," the bride replied, and there was determination in the monosyllable.
It was evident that Dick perceived the futility of argument.
"For a married woman you certainly are shy," he replied, with a sly glance toward Aggie, who beamed back sympathy. "You'll excuse me, won't you, Miss Lynch,... Good-by, Mrs. Gilder." He made a formal bow to his wife. As he hurried to the door, he expressed again his admiration for the name. "Mrs. Gilder! Doesn't that sound immense?" And with that he was gone.
There was silence in the drawing-room until the two women heard the closing of the outer door of the apartment. Then, at last, Aggie relieved her pent-up emotions in a huge sigh that was near a groan.
"Oh Gawd!" she gasped. "The poor simp!"
CHAPTER XIII. THE ADVENT OF GRIGGS.
Later on, Garson, learning from the maid that Dick Gilder had left, returned, just as Mary was glancing over the release, with which General Hastings was to be compensated, along with the return of his letters, for his payment of ten thousand dollars to Miss Agnes Lynch.
"Hello, Joe," Mary said graciously as the forger entered. Then she spoke crisply to Agnes. "And now you must get ready. You are to be at Harris's office with this document at four o'clock, and remember that you are to let the lawyer manage everything."
Aggie twisted her doll-like face into a grimace.
"It gets my angora that I'll have to miss Pa Gilder's being led like a lamb to the slaughter-house." And that was the nearest the little adventuress ever came to making a Biblical quotation.
"Anyhow," she protested, "I don't see the use of all this monkey business here. All I want is the coin." But she hurried obediently, nevertheless, to get ready for the start.
Garson regarded Mary quizzically.
"It's lucky for her that she met you," he said. "She's got no more brains than a gnat."
"And brains are mighty useful things, even in our business," Mary replied seriously; "particularly in our business."
"I should say they were," Garson agreed. "You have proved that."
Aggie came back, putting on her gloves, and cocking her small head very primly under the enormous hat that was garnished with costliest plumes. It was thus that she consoled herself in a measure for the business of the occasion--in lieu of cracked