"Now, my dear young woman," said Judge Brewster, when the astonished
head clerk had withdrawn, "if we are going to set your husband free we
must get to work, and you must help me."
His visitor looked up eagerly.
"I'll do anything in my power," she said quickly. "What can I do?"
"Well--first of all," said the lawyer with some hesitation, "I want you
to see a certain lady and to be exceedingly nice to her."
"Lady?" echoed Annie surprised. "What lady?"
"Mrs. Howard Jeffries, Senior," he replied slowly.
"Howard's stepmother!" she ejaculated.
A clerk entered and handed his employer a card. The lawyer nodded and
said in an undertone:
"Show her in." Turning round again, he went on: "Yes--Howard's
stepmother. She's out there now. She wants to see you. She wishes to be
of service to you. Now, you must conciliate her. She may be of great use
to us."
Annie's face expressed considerable doubt.
"Perhaps so," she said, "but the door was slammed in my face when I
called to see her."
"That's nothing," answered the judge. "She probably knows nothing about
it. In any case, please remember that she is my client----"
She bowed her head and murmured obediently:
"I'll remember."
The door of the office opened and Alicia entered. She stopped short on
seeing who was there, and an awkward pause followed. Judge Brewster
introduced them.
"Mrs. Jeffries, may I present Mrs. Howard, Junior?"
Alicia bowed stiffly and somewhat haughtily. Annie remained
self-possessed and on the defensive. Addressing the banker's wife, the
lawyer said:
"I told Mrs. Howard that you wished to speak to her." After a pause he
added: "I think, perhaps, I'll leave you together. Excuse me."
He left the office and there was another embarrassing silence. Annie
waited for Mrs. Jeffries to begin. Her attitude suggested that she
expected something unpleasant and was fully prepared for it. At last
Alicia broke the silence:
"You may think it strange that I have asked for this interview," she
began, "but you know, Annie----" Interrupting herself, she asked: "You
don't mind my calling you Annie, do you?"
The young woman smiled.
"I don't see why I should. It's my name and we're relatives--by
marriage." There was an ironical ring in her voice as she went on:
"Relatives! It seems funny, doesn't it, but we don't pick and choose our
relatives. We must take them as they come."
Alicia made an effort to appear conciliatory.
"As we are--what we are--let's try to make the best of it."
"Make the best of it?" echoed Annie. "God knows I'm willing, but I've
had mighty little encouragement, Mrs. Jeffries. When I called to see you
the other day, to beg you to use your influence with Mr. Jeffries, 'not
at home' was handed to me by the liveried footman and the door was
slammed in my face. Ten minutes later you walked out to your carriage
and were driven away."
"I knew nothing of this--believe me," murmured Alicia apologetically.
"It's what I got just the same," said the other dryly. Quickly she went
on: "But I'm not complaining, understand--I'm not complaining. Only I
did think that at such a time one woman might have held out a helping
hand to another."
Alicia held up her hand protestingly.
"How could I?" she exclaimed. "Now, be reasonable. You are held
responsible for Howard's present position."
"Yes--by the police," retorted Annie grimly, "and by a couple of yellow
journals. I didn't think you'd believe all the gossip and scandal that's
been printed about me. I didn't believe what was said about you."
Alicia started and changed color.
"What do you mean?" she exclaimed haughtily. "What was said about me?"
"Well, it has been said that you married old Jeffries for his money and
his social position."
"'Old Jeffries!'" protested Alicia indignantly, "Have you no respect
for your husband's father?"
"Not a particle," answered the other coolly, "and I never will have till
he acts like a father. I only had one interview with him and it finished
him with me for all time. He ain't a father--he's a fish."
"A fish!" exclaimed Alicia, scandalized at such _lèse majesté_.
Annie went on recklessly:
"Yes--a cold-blooded----"
"But surely," interrupted Alicia, "you respect his position--his----"
"No, m'm; I respect a man because he behaves like a man, not because he
lives in a marble palace on Riverside Drive."
Alicia looked pained. This girl was certainly impossible.
"But surely," she said, "you realized that when you married Howard
you--you made a mistake--to say the least?"
"Yes, that part of it has been made pretty plain. It was a mistake--his
mistake--my mistake. But now it's done and it can't be undone. I don't
see why you can't take it as it is and--and----"
She stopped short and Alicia completed the sentence for her:
"--and welcome you into our family----"
"Welcome me? No, ma'am. I'm not welcome and nothing you or your set
could say would ever make me believe that I was welcome. All I ask is
that Howard's father do his duty by his son."
"I do not think--pardon my saying so," interrupted Alicia stiffly, "that
you are quite in a position to judge of what constitutes Mr. Jeffries'
duty to his son."
"Perhaps not. I only know what I would do--what my father would have
done--what any one would do if they had a spark of humanity in them. But
they do say that after three generations of society life red blood turns
into blue."
Alicia turned to look out of the window. Her face still averted she
said:
"What is there to do? Howard has acknowledged his guilt--any sacrifices
we may make will be thrown away."
Annie eyed her companion with contempt. Her voice quivering with
indignation, she burst out:
"What is there to do! Try and save him, of course. Must we sit and do
nothing because things look black? Ah! I wasn't brought up that way. No,
ma'am, I'm going to make a fight!"
"It's useless," murmured Alicia, shaking her head.
"Judge Brewster doesn't think so," replied the other calmly.
The banker's wife gave a start of surprise. Quickly she demanded:
"You mean that Judge Brewster has encouraged you to--to----"
"He's done more than encourage me--God bless him!--he's going to take up
the case."
Alicia was so thunderstruck that for a moment she could find no answer.
"What!" she exclaimed, "without consulting Mr. Jeffries?"
She put her handkerchief to her face to conceal her agitation. Could it
be possible that the judge was going to act, after all, in defiance of
her husband's wishes? If that were true, what would become of her?
Concealment would be no longer possible. Discovery of her clandestine
visit to Underwood's apartment that fatal night must come. Howard might
still be the murderer, Underwood might not have committed suicide, but
her visit to his rooms at midnight would become known. Judge Brewster
was not the man to be deterred by difficulties once he took up a case.
He would see the importance of finding the mysterious woman who went
secretly to Underwood's rooms that night of the tragedy.
"He consulted only his own feelings," went on Annie. "He believes in
Howard, and he's going to defend him."
Alicia looked at her anxiously as if trying to read what might be in her
mind. Indifferently she went on:
"The papers say there was a quarrel about you, that you and Mr.
Underwood were too friendly. They implied that Howard was jealous. Is
this true?"
"It's all talk," cried Annie indignantly--"nothing but scandal--lies!
There's not a word of truth in it. Howard never had a jealous thought of
me--and as for me--why--I've always worshiped the ground he walked on.
Didn't he sacrifice everything for my sake? Didn't he quarrel with his
father for me? Didn't he marry me? Didn't he try to educate and make a
lady of me? My God!--do you suppose I'd give a man like that cause for
jealousy? What do the newspapers care? They print cruel statements that
cut into a woman's heart, without giving it a thought, without knowing
or caring whether it's true or not, as long as it interests and amuses
their readers. You--you don't really believe I'm the cause of his
misfortunes, do you?"
Alicia shook her head as she answered kindly:
"No, I don't. Believe me, I don't. You were right when you said that at
such a time as this one woman should stand by another. I'm going to
stand by you. Let me be your friend, let me help you." Extending her
hand, she said: "Will you?"
Annie grasped the proffered hand. It was the first that had been held
out to her in her present trouble. A lump rose in her throat. Much
affected, she said:
"It's the first kind word that----" She stopped and looked closely for a
moment at Alicia. Then she went on:
"It's the queerest thing, Mrs. Jeffries, but it keeps coming into my
mind. Howard told me that while he was at Underwood's that dreadful
night he thought he heard your voice. It must have been a dream, of
course, yet he thought he was sure of it. Your voice--that's queer,
isn't it? Why--what's the matter?"
Alicia had grown deathly pale and staggered against a chair. Annie ran
to her aid, thinking she was ill.
"It's nothing--nothing!" stammered Alicia, recovering herself.
Fearing she had said something to hurt her feelings, Annie said
sympathetically:
"I haven't said anything--anything out of the way--have I? If I have I'm
sorry--awfully sorry. I'm afraid--I--I've been very rude and you've been
so kind!"
"No, no!" interrupted Alicia quickly. "You've said nothing--done
nothing--you've had a great deal to bear--a great deal to bear. I
understand that perfectly." Taking her companion's hand in hers, she
went on, "Tell me, what do they say about the woman who went to see
Robert Underwood the night of the tragedy?"
"The police can't find her--we don't know who she is." Confidently she
went on: "But Judge Brewster will find her. We have a dozen detectives
searching for her. Captain Clinton accused me of being the woman--you
know he doesn't like me."
The banker's wife was far too busy thinking of the number of detectives
employed to find the missing witness to pay attention to the concluding
sentence. Anxiously she demanded:
"Supposing the woman is found, what can she prove? What difference will
it make?"
"All the difference in the world," replied Annie. "She is a most
important witness." Firmly she went on: "She must be found. If she
didn't shoot Robert Underwood, she knows who did."
"But how can she know?" argued Alicia. "Howard confessed that he did it
himself. If he had not confessed it would be different."
"He did not confess," replied the other calmly. "Mrs. Jeffries--he never
confessed. If he did, he didn't know what he was saying."
Alicia was rapidly losing her self-possession.
"Did he tell you that?" she gasped.
Annie nodded.
"Yes. Dr. Bernstein says the police forced it out of his tired brain. I
made Howard go over every second of his life that night from the time he
left me to the moment he was arrested. There wasn't a harsh word between
them." She stopped short and looked with alarm at Alicia, who had turned
ashen white. "Why, what's the matter? You're pale as death--you----"
Alicia could contain herself no longer. Her nerves were on the point of
giving way. She felt that if she could not confide her secret to some
one she must go mad. Pacing the floor, she cried:
"What am I to do? What am I to do? I believed Howard guilty. Why
shouldn't I? I had no reason to doubt his own confession! Every one
believed it--his own father included. Why should I doubt it. But I see
it all now! Underwood must have shot himself as he said he would!"
Annie started. What did Mrs. Jeffries mean? Did she realize the
tremendous significance of the words she was uttering?
"As he said he would?" she repeated slowly.
"Yes," said Alicia weakly.
Annie bounded forward and grasped her companion's arm. Her face flushed,
almost unable to speak from suppressed emotion, she cried:
"Ah! I begin to understand. You knew Robert Underwood? Howard knows your
voice--he heard you--talking to him----Oh, Mrs. Jeffries! Are you the
woman who visited his apartment that night?"
The banker's wife bowed her head and collapsed on a chair.
"Yes," she murmured in a low tone.
Annie looked at her in amazement.
"Why didn't you come forward at once?" she cried. "Think of the pain
which you might have spared us!"
Alicia covered her face with her handkerchief. She was crying now.
"The disgrace--the disgrace!" she moaned.
"Disgrace!" echoed Annie, stupefied. Indignantly, she went on:
"Disgrace--to you? But what of me and Howard?"
Alicia looked up.
"Can't you realize what it means to be associated with such a crime?"
she wailed.
"Disgrace!" cried Annie contemptuously. "What is disgrace when a human
life is at stake?"
"It seemed so useless," moaned Alicia--"a useless sacrifice in the face
of Howard's confession. Of course--if I'd known--if I'd suspected what
you tell me--I'd have come forward and told everything--no matter at
what cost." Tearfully she added: "Surely you realize the position it
puts me in?"
A new light shone in Annie's eyes. What was this woman's misery to her?
Her duty was to the poor fellow who was counting the hours until she
could set him free. His stepmother deserved no mercy. Utterly selfish,
devoid of a spark of humanity, she would have left them both to perish
in order to protect herself from shame and ridicule. Her face was set
and determined as she said calmly:
"It must be done now."
"Yes," murmured Alicia in a low tone that sounded like a sob, "it must
be done now! Oh, if I'd only done it before--if I'd only told Mr.
Jeffries the whole truth! You speak of Howard's sufferings. If he didn't
do it, he has at least the consciousness of his own innocence, but
I--the constant fear of being found out is worse than any hell the
imagination can conjure up. I dreaded it--I dread it now--it means
disgrace--social ostracism--my husband must know--the whole world will
know."
Annie was not listening. Still bewildered, she gazed with the utmost
astonishment at her companion. To think that this mysterious woman they
had been seeking was Howard's stepmother.
"So you're the missing witness we've all been hunting for!" she said; "I
can't believe it even now. How did it happen?"
Alicia explained in short, broken sentences:
"He and I were once engaged. I broke it off when I found him out. After
I married Mr. Jeffries I met Underwood again. Foolishly, I allowed the
old intimacy to be renewed. He took advantage and preyed on my friends.
I forbade him my house. He wrote me a letter in which he threatened to
kill himself. I was afraid he meant it--I wanted to prevent him. I went
to his rooms that night. I--didn't tell Mr. Jeffries. When the truth is
known and I acknowledge that I visited this man--can you see what it
means?--what a fuss there'll be? Everybody will put the worst
construction on it----"
"Trust them for that!" said Annie grimly. She was sorry for the woman's
distress, yet, being only human, she felt a certain sense of
satisfaction in seeing her suffer a little of what she had been made to
suffer.
"They'll say that I--God knows what they'll say!" went on Alicia
distractedly. "My husband will be dragged through the mire of another
public scandal--his social prestige will--oh, I dare not think of it--I
know--I know--my duty is to that unfortunate boy. I mustn't think of
myself."
"Have you the letter that Mr. Underwood wrote you?" demanded her
companion.
"Yes--I've never been able to destroy it. I don't know why I kept it,
but thank God I have it!" Moaning, she went on:
"The disgrace!--the disgrace!--it's ruin!--degradation! It's the end of
everything!--the end of everything!"
Annie regarded with contempt this poor, weak, wailing creature who
lacked the moral courage to do what was merely right. Yet her voice was
not unkind as she said:
"I don't want to disgrace you--or ruin you. But what am I to do--tell
me, what am I to do?"
"I don't know," moaned her companion helplessly.
"Howard must be saved."
"Yes."
"Will you tell Judge Brewster or shall I?"
"Judge Brewster! Why should he know?" cried Alicia, startled. More
composedly and as if resigned to the inevitable, she went on: "Yes, I
suppose he must know sooner or later, but, I----"
She broke down again and burst into tears. Annie watched her in silence.
"It's tough--isn't it?" she said sympathetically.
"Yes," sobbed Alicia through her tears, "it's--it's tough!" Rising, she
dried her eyes and said hastily: "Don't say anything now. Give me a few
hours. Then I can think what is best to be done."
Annie was about to reply when the office door suddenly opened and Judge
Brewster entered. Addressing Alicia, he said:
"Pardon me, Mrs. Jeffries, I hope I haven't kept you waiting." Noticing
her agitation and traces of tears, he looked surprised. He made no
comment but turned to Annie:
"I have been talking to Dr. Bernstein over the 'phone."
Annie approached him softly and said in a whisper:
"I've told Mrs. Jeffries that you have undertaken Howard's defense."
Judge Brewster smiled at his wealthy client, almost apologetically,
Annie thought. Then addressing her, he said:
"Yes, I've been quite busy since I saw you. I have put three of the best
detectives we have on the trail of the woman who visited Underwood that
night. I don't think the police have been trying very hard to find her.
They're satisfied with Howard's confession. But we want her and we'll
get her----"
"Oh!" gasped Alicia.
The judge was proceeding to tell of other steps he had taken when the
door opened and the head clerk entered, followed by Mr. Jeffries.
"I told Mr. Jeffries that Mrs. Jeffries was here," said the clerk.
"You might have told him that there were two Mrs. Jeffries here,"
laughed the judge.
The clerk retired and the banker, completely ignoring the presence of
his daughter-in-law, turned to his wife and said:
"I regret, my dear, that you should be subjected to these family
annoyances."
Judge Brewster came forward and cleared his throat as if preliminary to
something important he had to say. Addressing the banker, he said
boldly:
"Mr. Jeffries, I have decided to undertake Howard's defense."
His aristocratic client was taken completely by surprise. For a moment
he could say nothing, but simply stared at the lawyer as if unable to
believe his ears. With an effort, he at last exclaimed:
"Indeed!--then you will please consider our business relations to have
ceased from this moment."
The lawyer bowed.
"As you please," he said suavely.
The banker turned to his wife.
"Alicia--come."
He offered his arm and turned toward the door. Alicia, in distress,
looked back at Annie, who nodded reassuringly to her. Judge Brewster
rose and, going to the door, opened it. The banker bowed stiffly and
said:
"Pray don't trouble. Good morning, sir."
"Good morning, Mr. Jeffries," replied the judge.
As Alicia followed her husband out, she turned and whispered to Annie:
"Come and see me at my home."
When she had disappeared the judge came back into the room and sat down
at his desk.
"Well, that's done!" he exclaimed with a sigh of relief. Rummaging for a
moment among his papers, he looked up and said with an encouraging
smile:
"Now, if you please, we will go over that evidence--bit by bit."