“You do not mean to have me really taken up?”
“Of course not; you’ve committed burglary on my premises, robbed me of diamonds worth five hundred dollars, and tried to do it again; but of course I a’n’t going to take you up, dear. Perhaps I’m tender-hearted, perhaps I love you too much, perhaps you’ll be marched off to the police office without another minute’s time for abusing me! Mr. Policeman, just move on, I am ready. It isn’t too late yet, and I want to get home again!”
“I won’t go—I charge that woman with murder, perjury, false imprisonment. She’s an imp, a wretch, a wild beast, I tell you; take her up, I charge her with something worse than stealing.”
Jane struggled fiercely as she hurled these words back upon her accuser, and almost wrenched her arm from the policeman.
“Hush, be quiet, I say!” commanded the man, sternly, “I’ll have no more of this; come along, marm, we’ve held court long enough in the street. If we wait in this way, the magistrate will be gone.”
“Oh, I’m ready, I’m in a hurry to go,” said Madame, with her glittering eyes turned on Kelly; “it isn’t me that delays you; walk on, I’ll follow with all the pleasure in the world; perhaps she’s got the mate to this about her!”
“No such thing,” exclaimed Jane, with another burst of passion, “you know well enough that I told you it was in my trunk.”
“Oh!” ejaculated the officer, with a wink at the old woman, who gave back a significant nod, and cast another jeering glance at her victim.
“Did you tell me that? thank you, dear, it’s pleasant to find a person so frank. You hear, sir, she confesses. Kind, isn’t it?”
Jane was about to speak, and probably in her wrath might have committed herself still further, but the policeman dragged her forward. She made a little resistance at first, but at last moved on more patiently, though still burning with indignation, which was likely to break forth to her disadvantage the moment she was allowed to speak again.