The Red Mouse: A Mystery Romance

by William Hamilton Osborne

  VIII

  There was a flush on the face of Shirley Bloodgood as she entered theprosecutor's office, which was fully as deep as that on the face of theman eagerly awaiting her. Jauntily she held out a gloved hand and saidwith a breeziness that was perhaps a trifle forced:--

  "You must excuse me, Mr. Prosecutor; I'm quite alone--" and she drewattention to her unconventional act by placing her finger on her lips,which were pursed into a big O--"I have no chaperone."

  "Won't I answer?" suggested the prosecutor lightly, as he took her hand;and placing a chair close to his desk, "Sit here, please."

  "The fact that I'm alone," went on Shirley, taking the seat indicated,but moving it a little farther away from him, "should prove conclusivelythat I'm not afraid to beard the lion in his den."

  "Did it require so very--much courage?" he asked with mock seriousness.

  Shirley made a little moue.

  "After last night, seems to me you're a bear."

  Murgatroyd seated himself; it was thoroughly characteristic that heshould waste little time on a preliminary skirmish with any one.

  "Then it _is_ about this Challoner affair that you have come to see me?"he asked tactlessly. "I warn you, Shirley--don't! Hands off!----"

  At once Shirley assumed an aggressive, business-like attitude; close tohis desk she drew her chair, and then leaning on both elbows lookedMurgatroyd squarely in the face and said with great earnestness:--

  "Billy Murgatroyd, you've got to help these people out!"

  Murgatroyd flushed and answered with a smile:--

  "If such a thing were possible, Shirley, you're the one person to makeme do it."

  His compliment found her unresponsive; she was too preoccupied with herown thoughts.

  "You must do it," she persisted, and looked at him appealingly. "Ofcourse the man could not have been himself."

  "Probably not," he said coldly. "But of one thing you may be sure,Challoner had a purpose in all this."

  Shirley frowned; the man changed the tone of his voice with aversatility that she declared to herself was little short of scandalous;he went on:--

  "That purpose was to kill Hargraves. Last night you heard his confessionto that effect; this morning he substantiated it in detail."

  Shirley wrapped one hand over the other and sat looking at Murgatroydwith white drawn face.

  "I suppose you realise that this thing is going to kill MiriamChalloner?"

  The man shook his head vigorously.

  "Bosh! If grief could kill the woman, living with Challoner would haveaccomplished that long ago."

  "How unfeeling! How like a man! You understand women so well!" shedeclared, looking up at him with a mocking smile; and then went on toplead: "You must do something--you must get him free! Surely it remainsfor his friend to do this much for him! You will--won't you?" There wasa suspicion of moisture in the girl's eyes.

  Shaking his head, Murgatroyd rose and began to pace the floor, notbecause he wanted to think, but merely to give the girl time to regainher composure. At last he stopped directly in front of her.

  "Shirley"--it was surprising how gentle his voice could be at times--"Iwant you to realise the circumstances of this case, which you seem tohave forgotten. In the presence of several people, including yourself,this man has deliberately confessed to a premeditated murder; a man inmy custody is a witness to the facts; at least five men know of themotive--his quarrel with Colonel Hargraves. No," he concluded severely,"if Challoner were my brother or my father, more than that, if you werein Challoner's place to-day, I should have to try you--convict you.There would be no escape."

  "But the condition that made him do this thing was abnormal," shepersisted; "bad companions and bad habits had warped his mind."

  "Like other men of his kind," returned Murgatroyd, "Challoner's decentat times--conducts himself like a man; but generally speaking, he'sirretrievably bad."

  "But can't you delay the trial--get him off in some way--some time?There are ways--the thing is done every day, and you know it."

  Murgatroyd smiled grimly.

  "My dear girl, if I would do this thing, I couldn't. I shall go a stepfarther. If I could do it, I wouldn't. I couldn't look you in the face,guilty as I should be of gross malfeasance in my office." He waved hishand in finality. "Not another word on the subject, please."

  "You're immovable! You're cruel!" she cried, rising to her feet. "Iought not to have come! However, I have done what I could for a friend,"she flung back at him, looking him straight in the eye, and startedtoward the door.

  Murgatroyd blocked her way.

  "No," he said good-humouredly, not the least disconcerted by her partingshot, "it's my turn now. You have attempted to corrupt me, swerve mefrom my duty and----"

  "And wasted your time, I suppose, as you were good enough to remind meon a previous occasion," she returned, looking up saucily at him underher lashes.

  Murgatroyd was quick to detect her change of mood and took his couragein both hands, saying:--

  "Won't you for the moment forget the Challoners, Shirley? Be kind--yougive me little opportunity to see you alone these days. Think only ofyourself and me----"

  "If you're going to make love to me in that awfully serious way of yoursor, for that matter, in any other way, I'll go."

  "Aren't you going to marry me, Shirley?" he demanded with characteristicdirectness.

  "Same old story," laughed the girl.

  "Yes, this is the sixth time now that I've asked you. Again, will youmarry me?"

  "Don't be silly! This is hardly the place, Billy...."

  "I quite agree with you. But one has to make the most of opportunity. AsI said before, the occasions are all too rare when I find myself alonewith you. And unless you want me to keep asking you, speak the word now,Shirley--make me happy. You may as well say it first as last, for I'mdetermined to win you--I'm going to have you!" he wound upenergetically.

  "Sure of that, Billy?" she asked coquettishly.

  "Positive." And there was a world of determination in the way he saidit.

  "Then why bother about my consent?" A flicker of a smile hovered aroundher lips.

  "Why do you persist in refusing me?"

  Shirley flushed. She seemed amused and serious, in turn. Finally shelooked up at him quizzically for a moment, then asked:--

  "Do you really want to know?"

  He did not answer the question, but ventured:--

  "Is it because of Thorne? Is he my successful rival?"

  Shirley looked perturbed. She was struggling for expression.

  "No, it's not because of Thorne. I wish it were ..." And after a moment:"Do you still want to know?"

  "Yes. I've got to know, Shirley." And he waited for her words as thoughhis life hinged upon them.

  "Will you be very quiet and stay right where you are if I tell you?"

  "I promise," raising his right hand half playfully.

  "Well, then, it's because--I love you," she said easily.

  Murgatroyd sprang toward her, the colour rising in his face, fireflashing from his eye.

  "Shirley!"

  The girl quickly waved him back.

  "It's because I love you or believe that I do that I shall never marryyou. I mean it," she hastened to add, for the faintest shade of doubthad appeared on his face.

  "But why?" he faltered, turning his eyes inquisitively on her.

  Shirley sighed unconsciously.

  "It is time that I made myself plain, understood to you. Not becauseyou're entitled to an explanation, but because, well, because I like youjust a bit----"

  Again Murgatroyd took a step forward; but with laughter still lingeringin her eyes, the girl made a pretty little movement of her wrist andmotioned toward his chair. Instantly he stopped, catching his breath insheer admiration of her beauty. He was dimly conscious of putting hishands behind his back; it seemed the only means of preventing them fromtouching her. But now as he gazed upon her, he saw that there wassomething behind those laughin
g eyes. A serious look was on her face.She seemed suddenly to have changed. The thousand and one littlemannerisms that were so large a part of the girl's attractiveness wereall there, but the voice was no longer the mirthful voice of the Shirleythat he knew and loved. She spoke as though in a trance:--

  "Can you understand me when I say that I have got to have something morethan love? I am too practical, Billy, to fool myself--or you! PerhapsI'm cursed with the instincts of my kind--of the American girl. Oh, letme tell you how it is!" she exclaimed impulsively. "All my life I'vebeen surrounded by men who were failures. My grandfather was a failure;my father was a failure; and my brothers are failures. They have taintedmy happiness--don't misunderstand me--I love them, but I can't look upto them."

  Murgatroyd nodded appreciatively. He believed that he should feel thesame way about these men.

  "But--you don't want money?" he protested. "You're too much the rightsort of an American girl for that."

  "No, not exactly money; but the man who appeals to me is one who cansurmount all obstacles," she answered with grave tenderness; "who hassuccess running in his veins." Not a shade of her former gravity nowshowed on the speaker's face; it lighted as if a flame of enthusiasm hadescaped from the temple of her soul. She paused for a moment and liftedher head, and in the transporting gaze that seemed to pass beyond himand was lost into space, for the first time the man read and understoodthe girl's nature.

  "Have you ever lain awake at night, Billy, ever curled up on awindow-seat in the daytime and planned your future?" She did not waitfor an answer, but kept on: "I have; and in these dreams of mine I wouldalways take my place by the side of my great knight errant, helping himto become greater--the damsel riding on the pillion of my lord'swar-horse as he goes to war. At times he has been a diplomatist, ajurist, a law-maker; and I have always lent him strength. When I marry,Billy, my husband's work will be my work; his struggles, my struggles;but the man must have greatness running through his veins."

  Murgatroyd smiled sheepishly. He had his full proportion of conceit, andhe did not quite relish this.

  "Then I haven't figured often in the limelight of your dreams?"

  "If only you had, Billy, but you haven't, much as I have tried my bestto fit my knight's armour on you and place you on his war-horse. Nowcan't you see what it would mean if we tried the experiment of marriage?Marriage would not make me happy; it would be misery----"

  "Misery?" he snatched the word from her lips.

  "Yes, misery for you," she finished. "Can the girl who must have moneymake a poor man happy, much as she may love him? Can the butterfly makea bookworm happy, much as she may love him? A woman with socialambitions loves a man with none; can she make him happy? No! And while Iam none of these, yet, somehow, I've got to fulfil my destiny; and I'mnot going to chafe, anger and everlastingly offend the man who doesn'tbelong--doesn't fit in with my ideas!"

  "But I do fit in, as you phrase it," Murgatroyd maintained. "Haven't Iambition? And am I not a fighter?--You'd think so if you knew the devilof a fight I am having right now with my own organisation--withCradlebaugh's; and I'm going to win!"

  Shirley smiled faintly at his almost boyish earnestness, but she shookher head.

  "You are too much of a reformer, too much of a crank--no, I'm sorry totell you so, but in my inmost soul I believe you will fail. You're builtthat way! I don't know why, but men of influence have weighed you in thebalance and found you wanting. William Murgatroyd, politically you'redead--that's what they tell me. There's no future for you; you haveruthlessly antagonised every valuable interest needlessly. That's notsuccess!"

  Murgatroyd's face paled; his hand trembled as he raised it in protest.

  "But the people--the people believe in me?"

  Shirley smiled again in spite of herself.

  "You haven't an ounce of diplomacy in your whole body!"

  "Not if you call obeying orders from Peter Broderick, diplomacy."

  Still the girl was merciless.

  "You hit from the shoulder wildly; it lands on and hurts your opponent,but it kills you. You're only honest, Billy, nothing else."

  Murgatroyd swung about nervously and glanced out of the window as hecried:--

  "Only honest! Doesn't that count with you--doesn't it signify?"

  "It's easy enough to be honest, but it is great to make your honestysave and not destroy you. To get these men behind you instead of opposedto you; to make your organisation do what you want it to do; to riseupon its shoulders because you make it lift you up--Ah!..."

  "But, Shirley," interposed Murgatroyd, "can't you see that the man whostands up for a principle cannot fail?"

  "What have you done so far?" she kept on persistently. "You'reprosecutor of the pleas, your first, last and only office. Am I right?"

  "I'm afraid you are," he answered dully. "In a way what you say is thetruth. Politically I shall die--" Murgatroyd shuddered as hespoke--"unless I can force this issue to a finish while my officelasts."

  "And then?" Her manner in putting the question nettled him.

  "Well, then I suppose I shall live and die poor. But at least I shalldie honest," he added.

  Shirley shifted her mode of attack.

  "Look at Mr. Thorne!"

  "Ah, it _is_ Thorne, then."

  "A while ago I told you it was not Mr. Thorne." She paused a moment andthen, as if speaking to herself, said: "But some day I shall meet theman I'm looking for--some day----"

  "When you do, Shirley Bloodgood," he was quick to remind her, "it's aneven chance that he won't care for you."

  Shirley lost no time in retorting:--

  "It's a chance I'm going to take! I can love," she went on wistfully,"yes," and then blushing, added very tenderly: "I am laying my soul bareto you, William Murgatroyd, because I believe somehow that you have aright to see it. Again I repeat: Look at Mr. Thorne!--a prospectiveUnited States senator!"

  "You admire him?"

  "He succeeds."

  "Do you know why it may be possible for him to get the nomination forsenator? Have you any idea, young woman, what it costs in this State tobe chosen senator?"

  "Does it cost anything?" was her naive rejoinder.

  "Just about three-quarters of a million to swing the thing! Thorne hasmoney and backing and----"

  "And you have neither," she finished for him.

  "Precisely."

  "Why not emulate Mr. Thorne and get both? To be a United States senatoris one of the few great real successes possible of achievement in thiscountry."

  "His methods are not mine," pleaded the prosecutor, falling back uponhis platform.

  "Exactly. He secures support; you, opposition."

  "Would you have me adopt his methods?"

  "I would have you secure his results," she declared firmly.

  There was a hungry look in the man's eyes as he spoke:--

  "And if I do?..."

  "Oh, if you only would!" her young voice rang out clearly, hopefully.

  "And I'll find you waiting for me?"

  "At the top of the hill, Billy!" She held out her hand. "Think over whatI've said--Good-bye!"