"I will give you one hundred thousand dollars to set my husband free!"
"Mrs. Challoner," the prosecutor asked, falling into his habit of
putting finger-tip to finger-tip, "how much money have you?"
"In all?"
Murgatroyd nodded.
"In just a minute...."
With a hard look on his face Murgatroyd watched her pull a little book
from a bag, watched her take out the stub of a pencil, waited while she
busied herself in adding figures, waited until at the end of a short
calculation she looked up at him and made known the result.
"In all, I have about eight hundred and sixty thousand dollars left."
"What?" exclaimed the prosecutor, unable to conceal his astonishment.
For since he had begun his investigations it had come to him that Mrs.
Challoner's affairs were in a bad way. A moment later he said: "And that
eight hundred thousand dollars or so is----"
"All in negotiable securities," she promptly assured him, "payable to
bearer. I get six and seven per cent. on some of them--the old ones."
"Where are these securities?"
"In the Fidelity Safe Deposit vaults."
"In addition to these," went on Murgatroyd, "you have your house on the
Avenue?"
"Yes. There's a small equity in it."
He raised his eyebrows.
"It is subject to mortgage, then?"
"Of course," she answered glibly. "I get six per cent. on most of my
securities, and have to pay only four and a half on my mortgage. It
would have been foolish to pay it off."
Murgatroyd smiled a cold smile.
"You're quite a business woman, Mrs. Challoner."
"I have to be," she acknowledged with a smile that was intensely
pathetic.
"And that's all you have?" he asked a moment later.
"Absolutely."
"Your house," mused Murgatroyd, half to himself, "will take care of
Thorne's fee."
"How much will that be?"
Murgatroyd jerked his head nervously.
"Thorne?--Oh, he'll take all he can get!" There was a short silence
which Murgatroyd suddenly broke. "Mrs. Challoner, your attempt to bribe
is no longer an attempt. You have succeeded. I shall set your husband
free!"
Mrs. Challoner smiled while the tears trickled down her cheeks.
"I shall get you the hundred thousand dollars right away," she said, as
if it were a mere bagatelle.
"Just one moment, please," continued Murgatroyd, waving her back into
her seat, for she had risen. "I shall set your husband free for _eight
hundred and sixty thousand dollars_!"
Miriam Challoner leaned back in her chair. She seemed to hesitate.
"For everything I have!" she muttered half aloud.
Murgatroyd reached over and touched her on the arm, and repeated in the
same tone:--
"Everything you have!" And added: "Surely you did not think that I would
sell myself for less?"
"No, no, of course not," she faltered. "I wish I had millions to give
you. You are a good man--you are doing a good act."