by Leroy Scott
CHAPTER XXIX
As the Duchess had gazed into Maggie's excited, imploring eyes, it hadbeen borne in upon her carefully judging and painfully hesitant mindthat there was better than a fifty per cent chance that Larry was rightin his estimate of Maggie; that Maggie's inclination toward criminaladventure, her supreme self-confidence, all her bravado, were butthe superficial though strong tendencies developed by her unfortunateenvironment; that within that cynical, worldly shell there were thevital and plastic makings of a real woman.
And so the long-troubled Duchess, who to her acquaintances had alwaysseemed as unemotional as the dust-coated, moth-eaten parrot which stoodin mummified aloofness upon her safe, had made a momentous decision thathad sent through her old veins the thrilling sap of a great crisis, agreat suspense. She had tried to guide destiny. She was now throughwith such endeavor. She had no right, because of her love for Larry, towithhold longer the facts of Maggie's parentage. She was now going totell the truth, and let events work out as they would.
But the events--what were they going to be?
For a moment the Duchess had been impelled to tell the truth straightout to Maggie. But she had caught herself in time. This whole affair wasLarry's affair, and the truth belonged to him to be used as he saw fit.So when she had told Maggie that she would get word to Larry, it wasthis truth which she had had in mind, and only in a very minor way thenews which Maggie had brought.
This was, of course, such a truth as could be safely communicated onlyby word of mouth. The Duchess realized that Larry no longer dared cometo her, and that therefore she must manage somehow to get to him. Andget to him without betraying his whereabouts.
There was little chance that the police would search her place orgreatly bother her. To the police mind, now that Larry was aware he wasknown to be in New York, the pawnshop would obviously be the last placein which he would seek refuge or through which he would have dealings.Nevertheless, the Duchess deemed it wise to lose no moment and toneglect no possible caution. Therefore, while Barney was still withChief Barlow and before the general order regarding Larry had more thanreached the various police stations, the Duchess, in cape, hat, andveil, was out of her house. A block up the street lived the owner oftwo or three taxicabs, concerning whom the Duchess, who was almostomniscient in her own world, knew much that the said owner ardentlydesired should be known no further. A few sentences with this gentleman,and fifteen minutes later, huddled back in the darkened corner of ataxicab, she rolled over the Queensboro Bridge out upon Long Island onher mission of releasing a fact whose effect she could not foresee.