"And that is?" came in a rather muffled voice.

"That you will defend him yourself!" said Miss Renner. Miss Holland
turned and caught her in her arms. "I can't do that," she said. "I
couldn't, anyhow, without being asked, and besides, he will need the
most skillful criminal lawyer in New York to defend him. I should make a
sorry mess of it."

Carroll drew her down on a settee and held her hands firmly. "You might
just as well be a man, if you are going to talk like that--always ready
to let women go ahead until something really worth while comes along,
and then saying 'only a man can do big, difficult things.' After all
you've said, are you going to hesitate when it comes to crossing
professional swords with a man? Come now, promise me; if I go to the
district attorney, you will defend him."

"But I have not been employed, or even asked to defend him," she
insisted. "You must see how unprofessional it would be, Carroll."

"Professional! that's what the doctors say when they refuse to save your
life because they don't want to be discourteous to a fellow
practitioner," answered Carroll. "Well, if the life of the man I loved
was at stake I wouldn't wait for somebody to come and hire me to defend
him!"

"Carroll!" cried Silvia.

"Silvia!" she retorted. "Will your highness deign to accept employment
if it is offered you by his family?"

"Oh, Carroll, I can't let you drum up business----"

"You should be shaken, Silvia," her friend answered. "Of course
everybody in the country knows that you live in daily fear of the
poorhouse, and keep an advertising bureau busy trying to find you
employment! However, I suspected you would make these silly objections,
so I told Frank Earl yesterday that he ought to move heaven and earth to
get you to defend his brother. He nearly fell on my neck, and he is now
giving me absent treatment or holding a thought that I may succeed in
making you see that you could do more for the doctor than any other New
York lawyer."

"That isn't true, Carroll," she said. "I wish it were, but it isn't, and
I haven't been able to think of any one that I want to see take up his
defense."

"Naturally, because you know you ought to do it yourself. Now listen to
me." Miss Renner put her hands on Silvia's shoulders. "We haven't known
each other long, but it doesn't follow that we don't know each other
well. If John Earl were my brother I should give you no peace until you
promised to defend him, not alon