How long they sat in the quiet that followed, neither knew. Then the man suffered himself to be led silently back to the ball room again. And when he had recovered and restored his worldly self, the bright little image was no longer at his side.
“Stand here, Jude, an’ when they begins to come out to their gasoline carts grab anything ye can, an’ git. I’ll work over by the door.”
The shivering woman crept closer to the curb, and the man slouched back against the wall close to the exit from which the revelers would soon emerge. A distant clock over a jeweler’s window chimed the hour of four. A moment later the door opened, and a lackey came out and loudly called the number of the Hawley-Crowles car. That ecstatically happy woman, with Carmen and the obsequious young Duke of Altern, appeared behind him in the flood of light.
As the big car drew softly up, the wretched creature whom the man had called Jude darted from behind it and plunged full at Carmen. But the girl had seen her coming, and she met her with outstretched arm. The glare from the open door fell full upon them.
“Jude!”
“God!” cried the woman. “It’s the little kid!”
She turned to flee. Carmen held her. With a quick movement the girl tore the string of pearls from her neck and thrust it into Jude’s hand. The latter turned swiftly and darted into the blackness of the street. Then Carmen hurriedly entered the car, followed by her stupefied companions. It had all been done in a moment of time.
“Good heavens!” cried Mrs. Hawley-Crowles, when she had recovered her composure sufficiently to speak. “What does this mean? What did you do?”