"I"ll remember."
The door of the office opened and Alicia entered. She stopped short on seeing who was there, and an awkward pause followed. Judge Brewster introduced them.
"Mrs. Jeffries, may I present Mrs. Howard, Junior?"
Alicia bowed stiffly and somewhat haughtily. Annie remained self-possessed and on the defensive. Addressing the banker"s wife, the lawyer said:
"I told Mrs. Howard that you wished to speak to her." After a pause he added: "I think, perhaps, I"ll leave you together. Excuse me."
He left the office and there was another embarra.s.sing silence. Annie waited for Mrs. Jeffries to begin. Her att.i.tude suggested that she expected something unpleasant and was fully prepared for it. At last Alicia broke the silence:
"You may think it strange that I have asked for this interview," she began, "but you know, Annie----" Interrupting herself, she asked: "You don"t mind my calling you Annie, do you?"
The young woman smiled.
"I don"t see why I should. It"s my name and we"re relatives--by marriage." There was an ironical ring in her voice as she went on: "Relatives! It seems funny, doesn"t it, but we don"t pick and choose our relatives. We must take them as they come."
Alicia made an effort to appear conciliatory.
"As we are--what we are--let"s try to make the best of it."
"Make the best of it?" echoed Annie. "G.o.d knows I"m willing, but I"ve had mighty little encouragement, Mrs. Jeffries. When I called to see you the other day, to beg you to use your influence with Mr. Jeffries, "not at home" was handed to me by the liveried footman and the door was slammed in my face. Ten minutes later you walked out to your carriage and were driven away."
"I knew nothing of this--believe me," murmured Alicia apologetically.
"It"s what I got just the same," said the other dryly. Quickly she went on: "But I"m not complaining, understand--I"m not complaining. Only I did think that at such a time one woman might have held out a helping hand to another."
Alicia held up her hand protestingly.
"How could I?" she exclaimed. "Now, be reasonable. You are held responsible for Howard"s present position."
"Yes--by the police," retorted Annie grimly, "and by a couple of yellow journals. I didn"t think you"d believe all the gossip and scandal that"s been printed about me. I didn"t believe what was said about you."
Alicia started and changed color.
"What do you mean?" she exclaimed haughtily. "What was said about me?"
"Well, it has been said that you married old Jeffries for his money and his social position."
""Old Jeffries!"" protested Alicia indignantly, "Have you no respect for your husband"s father?"
"Not a particle," answered the other coolly, "and I never will have till he acts like a father. I only had one interview with him and it finished him with me for all time. He ain"t a father--he"s a fish."
"A fish!" exclaimed Alicia, scandalized at such _lese majeste_.
Annie went on recklessly:
"Yes--a cold-blooded----"
"But surely," interrupted Alicia, "you respect his position--his----"
"No, m"m; I respect a man because he behaves like a man, not because he lives in a marble palace on Riverside Drive."
Alicia looked pained. This girl was certainly impossible.
"But surely," she said, "you realized that when you married Howard you--you made a mistake--to say the least?"
"Yes, that part of it has been made pretty plain. It was a mistake--his mistake--my mistake. But now it"s done and it can"t be undone. I don"t see why you can"t take it as it is and--and----"
She stopped short and Alicia completed the sentence for her:
"--and welcome you into our family----"
"Welcome me? No, ma"am. I"m not welcome and nothing you or your set could say would ever make me believe that I was welcome. All I ask is that Howard"s father do his duty by his son."
"I do not think--pardon my saying so," interrupted Alicia stiffly, "that you are quite in a position to judge of what const.i.tutes Mr. Jeffries"
duty to his son."
"Perhaps not. I only know what I would do--what my father would have done--what any one would do if they had a spark of humanity in them. But they do say that after three generations of society life red blood turns into blue."
Alicia turned to look out of the window. Her face still averted she said:
"What is there to do? Howard has acknowledged his guilt--any sacrifices we may make will be thrown away."
Annie eyed her companion with contempt. Her voice quivering with indignation, she burst out:
"What is there to do! Try and save him, of course. Must we sit and do nothing because things look black? Ah! I wasn"t brought up that way. No, ma"am, I"m going to make a fight!"
"It"s useless," murmured Alicia, shaking her head.
"Judge Brewster doesn"t think so," replied the other calmly.
The banker"s wife gave a start of surprise. Quickly she demanded:
"You mean that Judge Brewster has encouraged you to--to----"
"He"s done more than encourage me--G.o.d bless him!--he"s going to take up the case."
Alicia was so thunderstruck that for a moment she could find no answer.
"What!" she exclaimed, "without consulting Mr. Jeffries?"
She put her handkerchief to her face to conceal her agitation. Could it be possible that the judge was going to act, after all, in defiance of her husband"s wishes? If that were true, what would become of her?
Concealment would be no longer possible. Discovery of her clandestine visit to Underwood"s apartment that fatal night must come. Howard might still be the murderer, Underwood might not have committed suicide, but her visit to his rooms at midnight would become known. Judge Brewster was not the man to be deterred by difficulties once he took up a case.
He would see the importance of finding the mysterious woman who went secretly to Underwood"s rooms that night of the tragedy.
"He consulted only his own feelings," went on Annie. "He believes in Howard, and he"s going to defend him."