Did the woman want me to stop her breath with bare hands? I gripped the
mahogany arms of my stiff Chippendale chair.
"Listen to me, Lucette! I know this is all very thrilling and amusing
for you. Vivisection must have its charms, of course--for an expert. But
I venture to remind you that once upon a time you were not a bad-hearted
girl, and you must have some remnants of human sympathy about you
somewhere. Am I wrong?"
"You're hideously rude."
"Granted. But I must place you. I won't accept you as an onlooker.
Either you'll fight me or help me--or clear out. Is that plain?"
"You're worse than rude," said Lucette; "you're a beast! I always
wondered why Gertrude couldn't live with you. Now I know."
"That's better," I hazarded. "We're beginning to understand each other.
Now let's lay all our cards face up on the table?"
Lucette stared at me a moment, her lips pursed, dubious, her
impenetrable blue eyes holding mine.
"I will, if you will," she said finally. "Let's."
It was dangerous, I knew, to take her at her word; yet I ventured.
"I've a weak hand, Lucette; but there's one honest ace of trumps in it."
"There could hardly be two," smiled Lucette.
"No; I count on that. In a pinch, I shall take the one trick essential,
and throw the others away." I leaned to her and spoke slowly: "There is
no reason, affecting her honor or rights, why Gertrude may not return to
her home--if she so desires. I think you understand me?"
"Perfectly. You wish to protect Miss Blake. You would try to do that in
any case, wouldn't you? But I'm rather afraid you're too late. I'm
afraid Miss Blake has handicapped you too heavily. If so, it was clever
of her--for she must have done it on purpose. You see, Ambrose, it was
she who sent for Gertrude."
"Susan!"
"Susan. Telegraphed her--of all things!--either to come home to you or
set you free. The implication's transparent. Especially as I had thought
it my duty to warn Gertrude in advance--and as Mr. Phar sent her, by
messenger, a vague but very disturbing note this morning."
"Maltby?"
"Yes. His note was delivered not five minutes ahead of Susan's wire.
Gertrude caught the next train. And there you are."
Well, at least I began to see now, dimly, where Maltby was, where Susan
was, where we all were--except, possibly Gertrude. Putting enormous
constraint on my leaping nerves, I subdued every trace of anger.
"Two more questions, Lucette. Do you believe me when I say, with all the
sincerity I'm capable of, that Susan is slandered by these suspicions?"
"Really," answered Lucette, with a little worried frown, as if anxiously
balancing alternatives, "I'm not, am I, in a position to judge?"
I swallowed hard. "All right," I managed to say coldly. "Then I have
placed you. You're not an onlooker--you're an open foe."
"And the second question, Ambrose?"
"What, precisely, does Gertrude want from me?"
"I'm not, am I, in a position to judge?" repeated Lucette. "But one
supposes it depends a little on what you're expecting--from her?"
"All I humbly plead for," said I, "is a chance to see Gertrude alone and
talk things over."
"Don't you mean talk _her_ over?" suggested Lucette. "And aren't you,"
she murmured, "forgetting the last straw?"