_! We all know that."

Miss Julia hobbled on away now to find her friend, Aurora Lane. She did
not know the story of the night before. Miss Julia was very, very
happy. She had her boy and his father after all--and both were above
reproach! And she never told, not in all her life--and she never knew,
not in all her life. And as she hobbled now up the walk beyond the
little gate--somewhat repentant that her own eagerness had kept her away
thus long from Aurora, she felt no remorse in her heart that she had not
told Aurora Lane the real secret of her own life. "Because," remarked
Miss Julia, to herself, like any woman, "there is one secret she has
never told me--she has never told me who was Don's father!"

Poor little Miss Julia! Ah, very happy, very happy, little Miss Julia!
Because she was a woman.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE STATE VS. DIEUDONNE LANE

Judge Henderson, haggard, shaken, turned and walked down one of the
halls which traversed the courthouse building. In the central space,
where the two halls crossed at right angles, was a curving stair leading
up to the courtrooms and the offices of the immediate servants of
justice. As he stood here he saw again the tall figure of Horace Brooks
approaching. He walked even more stooped forward than was usually his
case, shambling, his feet turned out at wide angles. His great face in
its fringe of red beard hung forward--but it bore now nothing but
smiles. It showed nothing of triumph over the man he saw standing here
waiting, humble and broken. He himself had said that he lacked birth and
breeding. If so, whence got he this strange gentleness which marked his
face now, as he stepped up to Judge Henderson--the man who but now had
stood between him and success--who must always, so long as he lived,
stand between him and happiness--the man whom he had beaten?

"Judge," said Horace Brooks, "I reckon about the best thing we can do is
to go right on up to the court and get this thing cleaned up. You've
heard the news by now?"

Henderson nodded. "Yes, just now."

"Well, that softens up a lot of things, doesn't it? It will make things
easier for everyone concerned--a whole lot easier for you and me, Judge.
Now we can ask for the quashing of this indictment and the court can't
help granting it. Cowles is there. He's just gone up. Adamson is with
him."

So they went up before the court, and the judge listened to the story of
the sad-faced officer and the sad-faced old ma