Wallion listened attentively and then said:
"Yes, my good friend, the situation is undoubtedly embarrassing; our little unknown guest must choose between two things. Either she must put herself into the hands of the police or she must pass the night in your bachelor apartments. Present day conventions most certainly demand that..."
"Conventions be hanged!" burst out Tom in despair; "We can't leave the poor thing to her fate like this."
"She requires care," said Wallion. "She can't be moved without attracting attention, but there is a certain law which refers to 'accessories' to a crime."
Tom paced wildly up and down and did not notice the gleam of quiet humor in the journalist's eyes.
"This must be a punishment for my sins—a nice predicament to be in, by Jove—what on earth am I to do?"
Wallion pushed him into his armchair.
"Try to be quiet," he said, "and listen to what I have to propose. The girl did not kill Dreyel; on the contrary, the real murderer made an attempt to kill her too. We can't tell what business she had in the studio, she might have come only to warn Dreyel; anyhow, she certainly had. nothing to do with the murderer, and it might be ... mark you ... I only say it might be that if we hand her over to the police her last plight would be worse than the first. She had better make her confession to us, then we shall know where we are."
Tom raised his eyes. "Then you think...?"
"The girl must remain here, there's nothing else to be done."