第11章

"And pretty soon, when I've learned more," she continued rapidly, "I'm going to have swell clothes of my own--and be a lady--and get away from this dingy, stuffy, dead old place! I can't stand for being buried down here much longer. And, oh, Larry, I'm going to begin to work with you!"

"What?" he blinked, not yet quite understanding.

"You think I'm not clever enough? But I am!" she protested. "I tell you I've learned a lot. And Barney and father have let me help in a lot of things--nothing really big yet, of course. They think I'm going to be a wonder. Just to-day father was saying that you and I, teamed up--Why, what's the matter, Larry?"

"You and I--teamed up," he repeated slowly.

"Yes. Don't you like the idea?"

His hands suddenly gripped her bare shoulders.

"There's nothing to it!" he exclaimed almost savagely.

"What's that?" she cried, startled.

"I tell you there's nothing to it!"

"You--you think I can't put it over?"

"You can't! And I'm not going to have it!"

"Why--why--"

Staring, she drew slowly away from him. His face, which a few moments before had been smiling, was now harsh and dominant with decision. She had heard him spoken of as "Laughing Larry"; and also as "Terrible Larry" whose aroused will none could brook. He looked this latter person now, and she could not understand.

But though she could not understand, her own defiant spirit stormed up to fight this unexpected opposition. He didn't believe in her--that was it! He didn't think she was equal to working with him! Her young figure stiffened in angered pride, and her mind was gathering hot phrases to fling at him when the door from the pawnshop began to creak open. Instantly Larry turned toward it, relaxed and yet alert for anything. Old Jimmie and Barney Palmer entered.

"Hello, Larry!" cried the old man, crossing. "Welcome to our city!"

"Hello, Jimmie. Hello, Barney." And Larry shook hands with his partners of other days.

"Gee, Larry, it's good to see you!" exclaimed the cunning-eyed old man. "Didn't know you were back till I bumped into Gavegan on Broadway. He told me, and so Barney and I beat it over here to see you. Believe me, Larry, that flatfoot is certainly sore at you!"

Larry ignored the last sentence. "Think it exactly wise for you two to come here?"

"Why Larry,?"

"Gavegan, Casey, the police, may follow, thinking you've come to see me for some purpose. That outfit may act upon suspicion."

Jimmie grinned cunningly. "A man can come to visit his own daughter as often as he likes. Father love, Larry."

"I see; that'll be your explanation." Larry's eyes grew keen at the new understanding. "I hadn't thought of that before, Jimmie. So that's why you've always boarded Maggie around in shady joints: so's you could meet your pals and yet always have the excuse that you had come to meet your daughter?"

"Partly that," smiled Old Jimmie blandly--perhaps too blandly.

"Suppose we sit down."

They did so, Maggie sitting a little apart from the men and regarding Larry with indignant, questioning eyes. She still could not understand his queer behavior when she had announced her intention of working with him. Could it be, as her father had said, because he would never work with women--not trusting them? She'd show him!

She was so occupied with this wonderment that she gave no heed to the talk about Larry's experience in Sing Sing and Old Jimmie's recital of what had happened among Larry's friends during his absence. During this gossip the Duchess entered from the stairway, and without word to any one shuffled across to her desk in a corner and bent silently over her accounts: just one more grotesque and unredeemed pledge in this museum of antiquities and forgotten pawns.

Presently Barney Palmer, who had been impatient during all this, broke out with:

"Aw, let's cut out this chatter about what used to be and get down to cases. Jimmie, will you spill the business to Larry, or want me to?"

"I'll tell him. Listen, Larry." Maggie pricked up her ears; the talk was now excitingly important. "We've got our very greatest game all planned out. Stock-selling game; going to unload the whole thing on one sucker, and we've got the sucker picked out. Besides you and Barney and me, there's Red Hannigan and Jack Rosenfeldt in it--a classy bunch all right. And we think that for the woman end we'll take in Mae Gorham. She's clever and innocent-eyed--"

"But I thought you were going to take me in!" protested Maggie.

"Maggie'll be just as good as Mae Gorham," put in Barney.

"We'll let that pass," said Old Jimmie. "The main thing, Larry, is that everything is ready. It's a whale of a business proposition.

We've been waiting for you; you're all that's lacking--the brainy guy to sit behind the scenes and manage the thing. You've handled the bunch for a long time, and they want you to handle this. For you're sure a wonder at business, Larry! None keener. Well, we've held this off waiting for you for a month. How about jumping right in?"

All three eyed Larry. His lean face was expressionless. He lit a cigarette, rose and leaned against the Duchess's safe on which stood the green parrot, and, gaze on the floor, slowly exhaled smoke through his nostrils.

"Well?" demanded Barney.

Larry looked at the two men with quiet, even eyes. "Thanks to both of you. It's a great compliment. But I've had time to do a little planning myself up in Sing Sing, and I've worked out a game that's got this one beat a mile."

"Hell!" ejaculated Barney in wrathful disgust. "Jimmie, I told you we were wasting time waiting for him!"

"Hold on a second, Barney. If Larry's worked out a better game, he'll take us into it. But, Larry, how can your game beat this one?"