Wood, still leaning on the fence, looked at him, and said nothing.
“That's just what I 've come for,” said Captain Nourse. “I 've got to arrest you; here's the warrant.” And he handed it to him.
“What does this mean?” said Wood. “I can't make head or tail of this.”
“Well,” said the captain, “the long and short is, these high-toned detectives that they 've hed down from town, seein' as our own force was n't good enough, allow that the safe was unlocked with a key, in due form, and then the lock was broke afterward, to look as if it had been forced open. They 've hed the foreman of the safe-men down, too, and he says the same thing. Naturally, the argument is, there was only two keys in existence,—one was safe with the president of the bank, and is about all he 's got to show out of forty years' savings; the only other one you hed: consequently, it heaves it onto you.”
“I see,” said Wood. “I will go with you. Do you want to come into the house with me while I get my coat?”
“Well, I suppose I must keep you in sight,—now you know.”
And they went into the house.
“Mary,” said her husband, “the folks that lost by Clark when the bank broke have been at him until he 's felt obliged to pitch on somebody, and he's pitched on me; and Captain Nourse has come to arrest me. I shall get bail before long.”
She said nothing, and did not shed a tear till he was gone.
But then—