"I demand to be present," insisted Mr. Ricaby, raising his voice angrily. "It's my client's right, and you know it!"
Cooley shook his head disdainfully.
"I'm sorry," he sneered, "but I can't accommodate you." Scornfully he went on: "Why should we outline our plan of operation to you fellows? The girl's here for her own good, and this habeas corpus business of yours is opposing the order of the court. If you want to see her, you can see her, but not while we are present."
"It's an outrage!" exclaimed Mr. Ricaby indignantly.
"An outrage?" echoed Mr. Cooley, elevating his bushy eyebrows in mock surprise. "Why, you saw Miss Marsh this morning, didn't you?" Turning to the superintendent, he asked: "Didn't you so inform me, Mr. Spencer?"
"Yes, counsellor," replied the superintendent, with a grin.
"Well, what more do you want?" sneered Cooley.
"I demand to be present!" insisted Mr. Ricaby, who was becoming more angry every minute. "The Constitution of the United States expressly——"
Mr. Cooley laughed outright:
"Now, Ricaby, don't let's have any more of this high falutin' nonsense about constitutional rights and curtailments of liberty and all that rot! Keep that for the courts. Miss Marsh is at liberty to come and go as she pleases. But just at present she is engaged. See?" Rudely turning his back on his interlocutor, he said to Mr. Spencer: "Send McMutrie up as soon as he arrives."