Then Gilder made an
effort to shake off the feeling that had so possessed him, and to
a certain degree he succeeded.
"The jury found you guilty," he asserted, with an attempt to make
his voice magisterial in its severity.
Instantly, Mary was aroused to a new outburst of protest. Once
again, her eyes shot their fires at the man seated behind the
desk, and she went forward a step imperiously, dragging the
officer in her wake.
"Yes, the jury found me guilty," she agreed, with fine scorn in
the musical cadences of her voice. "Do you know why? I can tell
you, Mr. Gilder. It was because they had been out for three
hours without reaching a decision. The evidence didn't seem to
be quite enough for some of them, after all. Well, the judge
threatened to lock them up all night. The men wanted to get
home. The easy thing to do was to find me guilty, and let it go
at that. Was that fair, do you think? And that's not all,
either. Was it fair of you, Mr. Gilder? Was it fair of you to
come to the court this morning, and tell the judge that I should
be sent to prison as a warning to others?"
A quick flush burned on the massive face of the man whom she thus
accused, and his eyes refused to meet her steady gaze of
reproach.
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