A groan of
distress burst from him, and he fled the place in ignominious
rout.
There was another whose spirit was equally desirous of
flight--Burke! Yet once again, he was beaten at his own game, his
cunning made of no avail against the clever interpretation of
this woman whom he assailed. He had no defense to offer. He did
not care to meet her gaze just then, since he was learning to
respect her as one wronged, where he had regarded her hitherto
merely as of the flotsam and jetsam of the criminal class. So, he
avoided her eyes as she stood by the window regarding him
quizzically. In a panic of confusion quite new to him in his
years of experience, he pressed the button on his desk.
The doorman appeared with that automatic precision which made him
valuable in his position, and the Inspector hailed the ready
presence with a feeling of profound relief.
"Dan, take her back!" he said, feebly.
Mary was smiling still as she went to the door. But she could
not resist the impulse toward retort.
"Oh, yes," she said, suavely; "you were right on the level with
me, weren't you, Burke? Nobody here but you and me!" The words
came in a sing-song of mockery.
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