Part 30 (1/2)

'Certainly. Why do you ask?'

Jerry did not say why she asked, but put the same question to him she had put to Harold:

'If they find the one who took the diamonds will they send him to state prison?'

'Undoubtedly. They ought to.'

'And cut off his hair?'

She was threading Arthur's luxuriant locks caressingly, and almost pityingly, with her fingers as she asked the last question, to which he replied, shortly:

'Yes.'

'And make him eat bread and water and mush?'

'Yes; I believe so.'

'And sleep on a board?'

'Yes, or something as bad.'

'And make him work awful hard until his hands are blistered?'

Now she had in hers Arthur's hands, soft and white as a woman's, and seemed to be calculating how much hard work it would take to blister hands like these.

'Yes, work till his hands drop off,' Arthur said.

With a shudder, she continued:

'I could not bear it: could you?'

'Bear it? No; I should die in a week. Why, what does ail you? You are shaking like a leaf. What are you afraid of?'

'I don't know; only state prison seems so terrible, and they are looking everywhere. What if they should come in here?'

'Come in here? Impossible, unless they break the door down,' Arthur replied; and then Jerry said to him:

'If they do, suppose you lie down and let me cover you with the afghan and cus.h.i.+ons?'

'But I don't want to lie down and be smothered with cus.h.i.+ons,' Arthur returned, puzzled, and wondering at the excitement of the child, who nestled close to his side and held fast to his hand, as if she were guarding him, or expected him to guard her, while the examination went on outside, and the frightened and angry servants submitted to having their boxes and trunks examined.

At last footsteps were heard on the stairs and the sound of strange voices, mingled with that of Frank, who was protesting against his brother's rooms being entered.

'You will lose every servant you have if we do not serve all alike,' was the answer.

Then Frank knocked at his brother's door and asked admittance.

'We must do it to pacify the servants,' he said, as Arthur refused, bidding him go about him business.

After a little further expostulation Arthur arose, and, unlocking the door, bade them enter and look as long as they pleased and where they pleased.