"Well, early this morning her mind cleared up for a little while. They told her she was going, which she probably knew for herself, and advised her to put her worldly affairs--if she had any--in order. It seems she had considerable worldly affairs to put in order, which was a surprise. It seems from what she said that she had upwards of a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, all in gilt-edged securities, all tucked away in a safe-deposit box, and all of it, every red cent of it, coined from the blood and the sweat and the degradations of fallen women. No need for us to go into that now. God knows, enough people will be only too glad to go into it when the news leaks out! "As I say, they told her at the hospital that she was dying. So she asked for a lawyer and they got one--a young fellow named Dean that's lately opened up an office. And he came and she made her will and it was signed in the presence of witnesses and will be offered for probate without delay. Trust some of our friends of the opposition to attend promptly to that detail. And, Bracken--take it steady, man--Bracken, she left every last miserable cent of that foul, tainted one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to you." "What!" The cry issued from Bracken's throat in a gulping shriek. "I'm saying she left it all to you. I've just seen the will. So has Dorgan. I sent for him as soon as the word reached me about half an hour ago and we went together and read the infernal thing. It says--I can almost quote it verbatim--that she's leaving it to you because for thirty-six years you've been her best friend and really her only friend and her one disinterested adviser. And furthermore because--with almost her dying breath she said it--because you were solely instrumental in helping her to save and preserve her earnings.... God, but that's been hard! Now then, Dorgan, it's your turn to speak." So Dorgan spoke, but briefly. Five minutes later, from the door on the point of departure, he was repeating with patience, in almost the soothing parental tone one might use to an ailing and unreasonable child, what already he had said at least twice over to that stricken figure slumped in the swivel chair at the big flat desk.