or suspending action. This was the presence of a certain Mr. and Mrs.
Steinmetz--the former a well-known engineer who drew the plans for many
of the works which Butler undertook. It was the day before Thanksgiving,
and they were eager to have Aileen and Norah accompany them for
a fortnight's stay at their new home in West Chester--a structure
concerning the charm of which Aileen had heard much. They were
exceedingly agreeable people--comparatively young and surrounded by a
coterie of interesting friends. Aileen decided to delay her flight and
go. Her father was most cordial. The presence and invitation of the
Steinmetzes was as much a relief to him as it was to Aileen. West
Chester being forty miles from Philadelphia, it was unlikely that Aileen
would attempt to meet Cowperwood while there.

She wrote Cowperwood of the changed condition and departed, and he
breathed a sigh of relief, fancying at the time that this storm had
permanently blown over.

Chapter XXXIX

In the meanwhile the day of Cowperwood's trial was drawing near. He was
under the impression that an attempt was going to be made to convict him
whether the facts warranted it or not. He did not see any way out of
his dilemma, however, unless it was to abandon everything and leave
Philadelphia for good, which was impossible. The only way to guard his
future and retain his financial friends was to stand trial as quickly as
possible, and trust them to assist him to his feet in the future in
case he failed. He discussed the possibilities of an unfair trial with
Steger, who did not seem to think that there was so much to that. In the
first place, a jury could not easily be suborned by any one. In the next
place, most judges were honest, in spite of their political cleavage,
and would go no further than party bias would lead them in their rulings
and opinions, which was, in the main, not so far. The particular judge
who was to sit in this case, one Wilbur Payderson, of the Court of
Quarter Sessions, was a strict party nominee, and as such beholden to
Mollenhauer, Simpson, and Butler; but, in so far as Steger had ever
heard, he was an honest man.

"What I can't understand," said Steger, "is why these fellows should be
so anxious to punish you, unless it is for the effect on the State at
large. The election's over. I understand there's a movement on now to
get Stener out in case he is convicted, which he will be. They have to
try him. He won't go up for