ed slowly. "Yes, I know--the coroner's jury has held him over."

"But he's in jail."

"Yes, they had that right--to hold him for the investigation of the
grand jury. And this is a grand jury matter, as you must know. Court
opens tomorrow. The grand jury sits tomorrow morning. At least the
preliminaries won't take long. But the outlook is bad, Aurora--they mean
to get him if they can."

Aurora Lane for a third time that day produced from her shabby pocket
book the little worn bill which represented her sole worldly fortune. A
flush rose to her temples now as she held it hesitatingly between her
fingers.

He saw it very plainly, and caught something of her meaning in the
pause. A slow red came also into his own face.

"You'd better keep that for the present," said he slowly after a time.
He pushed her fingers back with the bill. "I know this is professional,
but I can't take money from you now--not that money--because I know very
well you've got none you can afford to spend. Aurora, there's no use
trying to have secrets from me--we know each other too well."

"But what right do you leave me then to come to you?"

"I don't know that you have any right to come to me at all," said he
slowly. "I've my own right to decline to deal with you at all in
business matters. And you come here on business."

Aurora sank back into her chair. "Then what could I do?" she said
faintly.

"Have you tried Henderson?"

"Yes," she said, faintly, and with much reluctance, "I did."

"Why, if you wanted me?"

"I can't tell you that. But I did. He refused to have anything to do
with the defense for my boy."

"Very naturally--very naturally. Didn't you know he would before you
went to ask him? Couldn't you guess that?--couldn't you have figured out
that much for your own self? Didn't you know that man? He's not with the
under dog."

"It seems not," said Aurora Lane, wearily. "So I came to you."

"Even after last night?"

"Yes, after last night. At first it was hard to think of it."

"Aurora," said he, "I reckon I'm not a very practical sort of man. If I
were--if I were a man like Judge Henderson, say, I'd clamp on the screws
right now. I'd try to get you to alter what you said to me last night."

"It wouldn't be like you. You've never yet--in all our lives--done
anything like that."

"No? I'm second choice--that's my fate, is it--that's as high as I get?
Yes, I reckon that's about a fair estimate of me--I'm a typical second