There was a covert sneer in the question from which the girl shrank
perceptibly. She sprang to her feet, her eyes flashing:
"If that's what you take me for, I better be goin'!" she snapped and
reached out her hand for the paper. But Reyburn's hand covered the
paper, and his tone was respectful and apologetic as he said:
"Excuse me, I didn't quite understand, I see. Sit down, please. You and
I must understand each other or there is no use in our talking. You can
trust me to keep this conversation entirely to myself, whatever the
outcome. Will you tell me what it is you want of me?"
Jane subsided into a chair, tears of excitement springing into her eyes.
"Well, you see, it's pretty serious business," she said, making a dab at
the corner of one eye. "I thought I could trust you, or I wouldn't a
come. But you gotta take me on trust, too."
"Of course," said Reyburn. "Now, what have you to do with this girl? Do
you know where she is?"
"I certainly do!" said Jane, "but I ain't a-goin' ta tell until you say
if there's anything you can do fer her. 'Cause you see, if you can't
find a way to help her, I've gotta do it myself, an' it might get you
into trouble somehow fer you to know what you ain't supposed to know."
"I see," said Reyburn, meekly. "Well, what are you going to tell me? Am
I allowed to ask that?"
Jane grinned.
"Say, you're kiddin' me! I guess you are all right. Well, I'll just tell
you all about it. One night last November,--you can see the date there
in the paper, I was goin' home to my boardin' house in Camac Street,
an' I was passin' the side of that church on 18th an' Spruce, where the
weddin' was--you know, fer you was there!"
Reyburn looked at her astonished.
"How did you know I was there?"
"I saw you through the window, over against the wall to the street side
of the altar," said Jane calmly.
"How did you know me?"
"Oh, somebody I know pointed you out once an' said you was goin' to be
one of the risin' lawyers of the day," she answered nonchalantly, her
face quite serious.
A flicker of amusement passed like a ray of light through his eyes, but
his face was entirely grave as he ignored the compliment.
"Go on!"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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