. If it were possible,
I should like to give Miss Hawthorne the pick of the jewels. This is a
sordid world."

"Ye'er car-r is coming!" shouted Moriarty, running to the window.

So the girl and I passed out of Hollywood Inn, leaving Haggerty with
his mysterious prisoners. I can't reason it out, even to this day, but
I was genuinely sorry that Haggerty had arrived upon the scene. For
one thing, he had spoiled the glamour of the adventure by tingeing it
with blood. And on the way to the car I wondered what had been the
rogue's past, what had turned him into this hardy, perilous path. He
had spoken of a woman; perhaps that was it. They are always behind
good actions and bad. Heigh-ho!

Once we were seated in the lonely car, the girl broke down and cried as
if her heart would break. It was only the general reaction, but the
sight of her tears unnerved me.

"Don't cry, girl; don't!" I whispered, taking her hand in mine. She
made no effort to repulse me. "I am sorry. The rascal was a gallant
beggar, and I for one shouldn't have been sorry to see him get away.
There, there! You're the bravest, tenderest girl in all this world;
and when I told him I loved you, God knows I meant it! It is one of
those inexplicable things. You say I have known you only eight hours?
I have known you always, only I had not met you. What are eight hours?
What is convention, formality? We two have lived a lifetime in these
eight hours. Can't you see that we have?"

"To shoot a human being!" she sobbed. Her head fell against my
shoulder. I do not believe she was conscious of the fact. And I did
not care a hang for the conductor.

I patted her hand encouragingly. "It had to be done. He was in a
desperate predicament, and he would have shot Haggerty had the
detective been careless in has turn; and he wouldn't have aimed to
maim, either."

"What a horrible night! It will haunt me as long as I live!"

I said nothing; and we did not speak again till the first of the
Blankshire lights flashed by us. By this time her sobs had ceased.

"I know I haven't done anything especially gallant to-night; no
fighting, no rescuing, and all that. They just moved _me_ around like
a piece of stage scenery."

A smile flashed and was gone. It was a hopeful sign.

"But the results are the same. You have admitted to me that you are
neither engaged nor married. Won't you take me on--on approval?"

"Mr. Comstalk, it all seems so like a