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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
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