Presently, when she had finished the cigarette, Aggie proceededto her own chamber and there spent a considerable time in makinga toilette calculated to set off to its full advantage theslender daintiness of her form. When at last she was gowned toher satisfaction, she went into the drawing-room of the apartmentand gave herself over to more cigarettes, in an easy chair,sprawled out in an attitude of comfort never taught in anyfinishing school for young ladies. She at the same time indulgedher tastes in art and literature by reading the jokes andstudying the comic pictures in an evening paper, which the maidbrought in at her request. She had about exhausted this form ofamusement when the coming of Joe Garson, who was usually in andout of the apartment a number of times daily, provided a welcomediversion. After a casual greeting between the two, Aggieexplained, in response to his question, that Mary had gone out tokeep an engagement with Dick Gilder.
There was a little period of silence while the man, with theresolute face and the light gray eyes that shone so clearlyunderneath the thick, waving silver hair, held his head bentdownward as if in intent thought. When, finally, he spoke, therewas a certain quality in his voice that caused Aggie to regardhim curiously.
"Mary has been with him a good deal lately," he said, halfquestioningly.
"That's what," was the curt agreement.
Garson brought out his next query with the brutal bluntness ofhis kind; and yet there was a vague suggestion of tenderness inhis tones under the vulgar words.
"Think she's stuck on him?" He had seated himself on a setteeopposite the girl, who did not trouble on his account to assume aposture more decorous, and he surveyed her keenly as he waitedfor a reply.
"Why not?" Aggie retorted. "Bet your life I'd be, if I had achance. He's a swell boy. And his father's got the coin, too."At this the man moved impatiently, and his eyes wandered to thewindow. Again, Aggie studied him with a swift glance ofinterrogation. Not being the possessor of an over-nicesensibility as to the feelings of others, she now spoke briskly.
"Joe, if there's anything on your mind, shoot it."Garson hesitated for a moment, then decided to unburden himself,for he craved precise knowledge in this matter.
"It's Mary," he explained, with some embarrassment; "her andyoung Gilder.""Well?" came the crisp question.
"Well, somehow," Garson went on, still somewhat confusedly, "Ican't see any good of it, for her.""Why?" Aggie demanded, in surprise.
Garson's manner grew easier, now that the subject was wellbroached.
"Old man Gilder's got a big pull," he vouchsafed, "and if hecaught on to his boy's going with Mary, he'd be likely to sendthe police after us--strong! Believe me, I ain't looking for anytrip up the river."Aggie shook her head, quite unaffected by the man's suggestion ofpossible peril in the situation.
"We ain't done nothin' they can touch us for," she declared, withassurance. "Mary says so."Garson, however, was unconvinced, notwithstanding his deferenceto the judgment of his leader.
"Whether we've done anything, or whether we haven't, don'tmatter," he objected. "Once the police set out after you,they'll get you. Russia ain't in it with some of the things Ihave seen pulled off in this town.""Oh, can that 'fraid talk!" Aggie exclaimed, roughly. "I tell youthey can't get us. We've got our fingers crossed."She would have said more, but a noise at the hall doorinterrupted her, and she looked up to see a man in the opening,while behind him appeared the maid, protesting angrily.
"Never mind that announcing thing with me," the newcomer raspedto the expostulating servant, in a voice that suited well histhick-set figure, with the bullet-shaped head and the bull-likeneck. Then he turned to the two in the drawing-room, both ofwhom had now risen to their feet.
"It's all right, Fannie," Aggie said hastily to the flusteredmaid. "You can go."As the servant, after an indignant toss of the head, departedalong the passage, the visitor clumped heavily forward andstopped in the center of the room, looking first at one and thenthe other of the two with a smile that was not pleasant. He wasnot at pains to remove the derby hat which he wore rather farback on his head. By this single sign, one might have recognizedCassidy, who had had Mary Turner in his charge on the occasion ofher ill-fated visit to Edward Gilder's office, four years before,though now the man had thickened somewhat, and his ruddy face wasgrown even coarser.
"Hello, Joe!" he cried, familiarly. "Hello, Aggie!"The light-gray eyes of the forger had narrowed perceptibly as herecognized the identity of the unceremonious caller, while thelines of his firmly set mouth took on an added fixity.
"Well?" he demanded. His voice was emotionless.
"Just a little friendly call," Cassidy announced, in his stridentvoice. "Where's the lady of the house?""Out." It was Aggie who spoke, very sharply.
"Well, Joe," Cassidy went on, without paying further heed to thegirl for a moment, "when she comes back, just tell her it's up toher to make a get-away, and to make it quick."But Aggie was not one to be ignored under any circumstances.
Now, she spoke with some acerbity in her voice, which could atwill be wondrous soft and low.
"Say!" she retorted viciously, "you can't throw any scare intous. You hadn't got anything on us. See?"Cassidy, in response to this outburst, favored the girl with along stare, and there was hearty amusement in his tones as heanswered.
"Nothing on you, eh? Well, well, let's see." He regarded Garsonwith a grin. "You are Joe Garson, forger." As he spoke, thedetective took a note-book from a pocket, found a page, and thenread: "First arrested in 1891, for forging the name of EdwinGoodsell to a check for ten thousand dollars. Again arrestedJune 19, 1893, for forgery. Arrested in April, 1898, for forgingthe signature of Oscar Hemmenway to a series of bonds that werecounterfeit. Arrested as the man back of the Reilly gang, in1903. Arrested in 1908 for forgery."There was no change in the face or pose of the man who listenedto the reading. When it was done, and the officer looked up witha resumption of his triumphant grin, Garson spoke quietly.
"Haven't any records of convictions, have you?"The grin died, and a snarl sprang in its stead.
"No," he snapped, vindictively. "But we've got the right dope onyou, all right, Joe Garson." He turned savagely on the girl, whonow had regained her usual expression of demure innocence, butwith her rather too heavy brows drawn a little lower than theirwont, under the influence of an emotion otherwise concealed.
"And you're little Aggie Lynch," Cassidy declared, as he thrustthe note-book back into his pocket. "Just now, you're posing asMary Turner's cousin. You served two years in Burnsing forblackmail. You were arrested in Buffalo, convicted, and servedyour stretch. Nothing on you? Well, well!" Again there wastriumph in the officer's chuckle.
Aggie showed no least sign of perturbation in the face of thisrevelation of her unsavory record. Only an expression ofhalf-incredulous wonder and delight beamed from her widely openedblue eyes and was emphasized in the rounding of the little mouth.
"Why," she cried, and now there was softness enough in the cooingnotes, "my Gawd! It looks as though you had actually beenworkin'!"The sarcasm was without effect on the dull sensibilities of theofficer. He went on speaking with obvious enjoyment of theextent to which his knowledge reached.
"And the head of the gang is Mary Turner. Arrested four yearsago for robbing the Emporium. Did her stretch of three years.""Is that all you've got about her?" Garson demanded, with suchabruptness that Cassidy forgot his dignity sufficiently to answerwith an unqualified yes.
The forger continued speaking rapidly, and now there was anundercurrent of feeling in his voice.
"Nothing in your record of her about her coming out without afriend in the world, and trying to go straight? You ain't gotnothing in that pretty little book of your'n about your going tothe millinery store where she finally got a job, a............