world included so-called best citizens, of both
sexes. And they _were_ good citizens. It seemed the community had two
natures; a sort of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on a community basis.
Splendid qualities; large heartedness, generosity, were mingled and
streaked through degrees of selfishness and lust running down into
positive crime. . . And the wonder was not what the papers printed,
but what they left untold. . . And he was glad he had met Reenie
Hardy. She was an anchor about his soul. . . And Edith Duncan.

One morning, as he sat with Carson of _The Times_ at the reporters'
table in the police court, listening absently to the clerk calling a
list of names, his companion, with a grimace, intimated that there was
something beneath the surface. "Pure fiction," he whispered, as the
list was completed. "It would do you good to know who they are.
Shining lights, every one of them. And when they are lit up they can't
be kept under a bushel. The police just had to do something. They
won't be here--not one of them. Their lawyer will plead guilty, and
pay the fines, and every one will be sorry--they were caught. Even his
nibs on the bench isn't twice as happy. It was by good luck he wasn't
with the bunch himself."

It turned out as Carson predicted. One of the leading lawyers of the
city addressed the Court, expressing the regret of his clients that
their behaviour had necessitated interference by the police. He was
full of suave assurances that no disrespect to the law, nor annoyance
to any member of the community, was intended, and he pleaded feelingly
for as great leniency as the court might consider consistent with the
offence. The minimum fine was imposed, and the lawyer withdrew,
bearing with him the double happiness of having earned a good fee and
having saved a number of his personal friends from a public exposure
which would have been, at least, embarrassing. As the lawyer passed
the reporters' table Dave felt something pressed into his hand, and
heard the whispered words, "Split it."

In his hand was a ten dollar bill. "What's the idea?" said Dave to
Carson, when the session was over.

"The idea is that I get five," said Carson, "and both of us forget it.
Cheap skate, he might have made it twenty. Of course the names were
bogus, but they couldn't risk mention, even with that precaution. Easy
picking, isn't it?"

"It doesn't look quite right," Dave faltered. "I'm here to get the
news--"

"