The Argosy, Vol. 90 No. 1 — page 140: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

134 but unresisting manner of the man and again pocketed his weapon, though he seized Prince by the arm, and began shov- ing him vigorously. Fane, alone of the Harlingoods, kept her wits at this juncture. Her mother was mo- mentarily suppressed in excitedly minister- ing to her overwrought husband and Ar- thur was too sullenly consumed with his own mortification to think of the fast-fad- ing family fortunes; he was ready to throw everything overboard now. Not so Fane; she would fight to the last ditch. As Welling reached the door the second time with his fantastic charge she precipi- tated herself on him, exclaiming: ‘Oh, Jack, the police will get here before you get him out and you’ve got to keep this out of the papers!” ‘““T’ll do my best, Fane,” he said, tugging at Prince’s arm. ‘‘ Come on, Connors.” But Fane leaped between them, tearing loose Jack’s hold. ‘“‘ Wait a minute,” she implored, “‘ Jack, you must do as I say.” It was now time for Welling to be upset and he was; this interfered with his au- thority and would not do. He tried to brush Fane aside, but the more he brushed the more she clung, and his attention was quickly transferred from the docile Prince to the fierce Miss Harlingood. She forced him a few feet away from Prince, half outside the door, where her smothered pleadings would not be heard by her parents. But Prince remained a willing and amused spectator. Though he may not have heard all she said, he got “‘ dear.” and ‘“ for my sake ” and “ I’ll never marry you if you don’t.” The prisoner chuckled as he felt the match-box in his pocket and reflected on the meaning of the diamond ring. If he suspected before the relations between Miss Harlingood and the active young agent of the police, now he could be certain of them, ‘and as this revelation came to him fully his plan of action became matured. He glanced over at Una. She lay wilted and helpless in the big chair, and he saw the reproach in her eyes; reproach, he con- cluded, that he had not availed himself of her offer of escape. THE ARGOSY. Welling and Fane now returned. She had evidently won her point, for he closed the door decisively as though he meant to stay, and she rushed to the side of the room where her mother and father were. Doubtless she meant to keep her voice low, but what was said could be plainly heard by every one in the room, and es- pecially by the object of all the trouble. However, the tension was so great that no one noticed this. ‘Don’t disturb me,” moaned Mr. Har- lingood, his face in his hands, as Fane be- gan her pleading. She had scant respect for such evasion. She dragged her father’s hands from his face and threw her appeal to him. ‘You must!” she demanded. “Father, you must listen. Jack says that it is all up to you. If you don’t want the man ar- rested he will have to let him go. And you must let him go. Don’t you see the terrible danger in this now? He knows our names, knows what we have done; knows every- thing.” ‘We shall punish him for that as well as for his lesser crimes,” muttered his parent. “Now, father, don’t be silly,” she rat- tled on as if she were correcting a naughty child. ‘ You can’t punish him for that but he can punish us. Don’t you see that if he tells about us, what we have done—every- thing—it will be put in all the papers, and that the publicity would utterly ruin us!” “Yes,” added Mrs. Harlingood, “ Fane is quite right, Henry. Can you imagine how it would sound to hear people calling me ‘ Riggs’ or you ‘Squire’—even in fun?” Prince emitted a vigorous laugh. “That’s right, Mrs. Riggs, you’ve got the combination to the safe, all right.” This gained from Una a dry little smile, the first she had displayed for some time. Welling covered his face with his hands to conceal his feelings. Arthur had turned his back on the scene in disgust. For once, however, Mr. Harlingood was the head of the family. Perhaps he enjoyed the novel sensation of being the key to a situation and did not care to turn himself over too quickly. comicbool< CO