And then he turned to Mahala in direct appeal. “Mahala,” he begged, “please tell me where the pocket book is and you shall go free. All of us will agree never to mention it. You couldn’t possibly get away with stealing that amount of money.” He extended his hands to her and pleaded with her to save herself while there was yet time. “Mahala, you can’t do it! What are you thinking of?” he cried. Mahala replied quietly: “I’m thinking of a threat you made only a few weeks ago to degrade me till even the dogs of Ashwater would not bark at me. I’m thinking that this is your first move in fulfilling that threat.” Edith immediately recovered her breath. She sat erect and demanded: “Why should Junior have made such a horrible threat as that against you?” Mahala answered: “Well, if Junior were like other men, I should advise you to ask him.” Edith instantly turned to Junior. He went to her, forcing her to lie down, and begging her to calm herself. He turned to his father and said to him: “Take Mother and Mahala into the parlour. Shut the door. If this thing’s carried much further, it may kill Edith.” The elder Moreland immediately obeyed. As soon as they were left alone, Junior said to Edith: “You very well know how Mahala always hung around me and bothered me with her attentions, and there were times when she had me fooled into thinking she was the one I really cared for. But when I learned Commencement night how beautiful you really were, superior in every way to Mahala, and when I let you see it, right away she got ugly. She threatened to ruin our happiness when I told her that I meant to ask you to marry me.” Instantly Edith put her arms around him and kissed him and comforted him. She turned against Mahala, saying: “She’s so plausible she could deceive St. Peter with her innocent face and her snaky airs. Go, and call a policeman. I don’t care if you do. Make her shell out all that money and then put her out of this house!” The horrible scene ended on the entrance of the gardener with the policeman, who forcibly conducted a search of Mahala and her bag, and announced that neither the pocket book nor the money was on her. When Junior was told that the bill book could not be found, he said slowly: “She must have managed to hand it out of the front door to some one to take to her house for her. Cheer up, Dad, if it isn’t here, it’s there. You’ll find it all right!” Martin Moreland then told the policeman to take Mahala to the station and detain her until he had time to swear out a warrant for her arrest and a permit to search her house. The policeman knew he had no right to detain Mahala without a warrant, but she did not, so he took her by the arm and started down the street with her toward the station. As they reached the gate she said to him: “Will you kindly remove your hand from my arm? I’ve not the slightest intention of trying to escape.”