CHAPTER XVI. AT THE BOW STREET POLICE STATION.

"'We have but little time for uninterrupted conversation,' said our reporter, still speaking in French, 'and must make the best of it. At the station we shall not be private, as we are now. An explanation is due from me first. I am, as you have heard, a properly qualified solicitor, and can therefore defend you legally, although at present I see little to defend. But the fact that I am your authorized legal adviser should strengthen your confidence in me, for whatever information of a secret nature I receive from you I am bound professionally to respect. You see, therefore, that your interests are safe in my hands.'

"'I am truly grateful to you,' said the woman.

"'Intended for the Law,' continued our reporter, 'I do not follow it as a profession. I am a journalist, engaged upon the Evening Moon. You start. The fact of my being so engaged should still further increase your confidence in me. Now, perhaps, you can understand why I am so much interested in the advertisement cut from our paper which you carry about with you. May I accept it that you have read what has been published in the Evening Moon concerning the death and strange disappearance of M. Felix?'

"'I have read all that has appeared in the paper,' said the woman, who was paying the closest attention to what he was saying,

"'Thank you for the frank admission. To my hands has been entrusted the task of clearing up this strange affair, and of bringing it forward to the full light of day. That is only a portion of my mission. I have taken it upon myself to so sift the matter to the bottom, that, if any innocent person has been wronged, his innocence shall be made clear, and also to punish the guilty. Where there is mystery there is generally crime, and where there is crime the presumption is that innocent beings have been brought to sorrow. Whether right Or wrong, I have the firmest conviction that there is some story of wrong-doing underlying this mystery, and if I am right--which time and good fortune can alone establish--this wrong-doing must have inflicted suffering upon innocent persons. In opening my mind to you upon these issues I may be, in your estimation, speaking at random of details of which you are ignorant, and indeed of details which exist only in my imagination, and have no foundation in fact; but I take the chance of that, believing that no harm can be done by a perfectly open confession of the motives which are urging me on in the elucidation of a mystery which has caused, and still is causing, a great deal of excitement. You will now understand why the discovery surprised me that you should have taken the trouble to so carefully preserve the advertisement which slipped from your pocket. It would scarcely have been done by one whom it did not in some way concern, and it remains to you to enlighten me upon this point. Let me assure you that the advertisement was inserted in good faith, and that its terms will be scrupulously observed. Legal assistance is offered, and will be given, and money will be spent if any good purpose can be served by it. That is all I have time to say in explanation of the interest, to you in all probability the singular interest, I have taken in our meeting to-night. The whole of this evening I have been engaged in following up a clew connected with the disappearance of the body of M. Felix, of which, as you read the Evening Moon, you are doubtless aware.'

"'Yes,' said the woman, 'I have read of it.'

"'I am on the track, and I venture to affirm that I shall eventually succeed in my purpose. I have already more than one ally. May I hope that I have gained another?'

"'I do not know,' said the woman, and though they were walking now through unlighted spaces and he could not see her face, our reporter divined from her broken tones that she was crying. 'I cannot say. All is dark before me; there is not a star in the future to light me on my way.'

"'Do not give up hope,' said our reporter. 'I am by your side to help you. You and your daughter, two women, alone in London as I understand, without a friend, can do very little, but an earnest, willing man, who has influence and means to back him up, may do much.'

"In his sincere sympathy our reporter pressed the woman's arm, and she uttered an exclamation of pain.

"Have I hurt you?' he asked, hurriedly.

"'My arm has been injured,' replied the woman, biting her lip so that she should not repeat the cry; 'it has been cut to the bone.'

"'I am very sorry. Is it your left arm?'

"'Yes.'

"'Was it recently done?--but I beg your pardon for questioning you so closely.'

"'You have the right to question me. It was done a few days ago.'

"'You are unfortunate in more ways than one.'

"'Truly, truly,' sighed the woman. 'Your voice, your words are kind, but I can think of nothing but my dear child. She is waiting for me, expecting me, listening for my footsteps on the stairs. If I could escape--if I could get away unseen!'

"'You must not dream of it; you would plunge yourself into deeper trouble; and my word is pledged.'

"'Yes, yes, I forgot; I am ungrateful.'

"'I will do all I can for you at the Police Station; if it is possible, you shall in a few minutes go to your daughter; but I must not disguise from you the chances are very small.'

"'But you will try--you will try?'

"'Yes, I will try; I will stand bail for you; I can do no more just now.'

"'You have done much, more than I can repay. If they are cruel enough to detain me, how long shall I have to wait?'

"'Till to-morrow morning. You will be brought up before a magistrate.'

"'It is a terrible disgrace, a terrible, terrible disgrace! But they cannot punish me if I have done nothing wrong?'

"'No, they cannot punish you unless they can prove something against you which will render you liable.'

"'Can they upon suspicion?'

"'Upon mere suspicion, no.'

"'When I appear before the magistrate, will you be there?'

"'You may rely upon me. I shall be there to represent you legally, as I am willing now to assist you privately. We are near the station. Have you nothing more to say to me?'

"'Did you tell me that I should be searched at the station, or is it only my fear?'

"'It is almost certain you will be searched.'

"'They must find nothing upon me; they must not know who I am, or my daughter's happiness is wrecked.'

"Hastily and stealthily she extracted from her pocket a key, a purse and a handkerchief, and slipped them into his hands. As hastily and stealthily he slipped them into his own pocket. The policeman had not observed the proceeding.

"'Will you not require you handkerchief?' asked our reporter.

"'I must do without it. My initials are worked upon it, and it might lead to my identification. They must not, they must not know!'

"This remark would have seriously disturbed our reporter if he had not made up his mind to believe thoroughly, for the time being, everything the woman told him, and to leave it to the future to decide whether she was or was not deceiving him.

"'Should I be detained,' said the woman, 'you will go to my daughter and assure her I am in no danger?'

"'I will go with pleasure.'

"'You will not wait till morning? You will go at once?'

"'I will go straight from the station.'

"'Heaven reward you! Believe a suffering, much-wronged woman, sir, your confidence is not misplaced.'

"They had not time to exchange another word; they were at the station door.

"The Inspector was within, taking the night charges, and our reporter saw with satisfaction that it was an officer with whom he was acquainted.

"'Good-evening, Mr. Jealous,' he said.

"Inspector Jealous looked up. 'Hallo,' he said, 'what brings you here?'

"'I come on behalf of this lady,' replied our reporter, 'against whom a policeman on duty on the Thames Embankment has a groundless charge to make.'

"The Inspector's eyes wandered from our reporter to the lady. The policeman came forward and laid his charge in a temperate manner. Inspector Jealous listened in silence.

"'I thought at first,' said the policeman, 'that it was a child she had thrown into the river, but the gentleman here thinks the other way, and he is as likely to be right as I am. Of her attempt at suicide I am certain.'

"'That is a distinct charge,' said Inspector Jealous, dipping his pen in the ink. 'The bundle, whatever it is, can, I dare say, be recovered.' He called a constable, and gave him some whispered instructions; after which the man left the office. 'You can join him presently on the Embankment. Do you know the woman?' Pinned to formula, Inspector Jealous ignored our reporter's reference to her as a lady.

"'Look up,' said our reporter to the woman; 'you have nothing to be ashamed of.'

"Thus assured and comforted the woman raised her face, so that everyone in the office could see it clearly. Tears were hanging on her eyelids, and there was a piteous expression upon the trembling mouth.

"'I don't know her,' said the policeman, honestly.

"The constables in the office craned their necks, then shook their heads.

"'She's no better than she ought to be! She's no better than I am! I'm as good as her any day of the week! Go to blazes, the lot of yer!'

"The interruption came from a tipsy woman sitting on a bench. Inspector Jealous made a slight motion with his head, and the tipsy creature was taken away. Then Inspector Jealous turned to our reporter.

"'I have nothing to say against the constable making the charge,' said our reporter; 'he has performed his duty conscientiously, only he is mistaken. I was an eyewitness of the affair, and I say that there was nothing thrown in the river that the lady had not a right to throw into it--the property being her own--and that she did not attempt to commit suicide. Under these circumstances I trust you will not subject her to the indignity of being locked up. She will appear in the morning; I will be her recognizance.'

"Inspector Jealous nodded his head, and began to dissect.

"'What was in the bundle?' he asked of our reporter.

"'I have told you,' replied our reporter, feeling himself immediately at a disadvantage; 'her own property.'

"'What was its nature?'

"Manifestly this was a question which our reporter could not answer.

"'You must excuse my asking,' said the Inspector, 'how you come to know it was her property?'

"'She told me as much.'

"This time, instead of nodding his head, Inspector Jealous shook it.

"'I am afraid I cannot accept that. What is her name?'

"Another question which our reporter could not answer.

"'Where does she live?' pursued the logical and inexorable Inspector.

"Our reporter felt the ground slipping from under him. These two or three simple questions were like sledge-hammer blows, and he was staggered.

"'Surely,' he said, lamely parrying, 'you do not question my honesty in the matter?'

"'Not for a moment,' said Inspector Jealous, with perfect good temper, 'but you must see yourself how it stands. Here is a direct charge made----'

"'And denied,' interposed our reporter.

"'Exactly,' assented Inspector Jealous; 'but it is usual, you know, to deny such charges, and the authority to decide which side is right is not vested in me. There is not only the charge of attempted suicide, but there is that bundle that was thrown into the river. I am very sorry, but----'

"He did not finish the sentence, but there was no misunderstanding his meaning.

"'You must submit,' said our reporter to the woman, and then turned to Inspector Jealous. 'I may have a few private words with her, I suppose, out of hearing of the officers present?'

"'Certainly,' replied Inspector Jealous, 'after I have entered the charge; and although I shall be compelled to detain her here, I promise to make her as comfortable as possible for the night.'

"'Thank you,' said our reporter; 'I was about to ask you to do so.'

"Only one charge was entered in the book, that of attempted suicide, the constable's suspicions as to the bundle the woman threw into the river being deemed of too vague a nature to frame an accusation upon.

"'Your name?' asked the Inspector of the woman.

"At this question she was seized with a sudden trembling; her white face grew whiter; her hands wandered feebly, aimlessly around, and had it not been for the support afforded her by our reporter, who held her up, she might have fallen insensible to the ground.

"'Do not give way,' he whispered, 'think of your daughter.'"