"I just got word," he said, hoarsely; "Weston caught me at the club. My darling!"
The tears were in his eyes and his face was as white as Laura's. Behind him, Arthur Weston looked grimly over his head at Frederica.
"I had to chase him all around town," he said, "or we'd have been here before. And it's taken time to bail you out."
"I'm sorry to have bothered you," Fred said; "but it's been an awfully valuable experience to Laura and me. I wouldn't have missed it for anything!"
The matron, faintly interested, was standing by to see the end of it. "Them swells will learn something," she whispered, to her assistant; "I guess that thin one ain't bad. I thought she was. Well, good-by, ma'am," she said, listlessly; and went back to work on a piece of dingy embroidery until the next dumping of human rubbish should claim her attention.
Out in the courtyard Frederica made a little delay. Where was Catalina to go? What was she to do? "Out on bail? Does that mean she's got to come back here again?"
"It means that she's got to report at the municipal criminal court," Mr. Weston instructed her; "and so have you and Laura, unless I can patch things up."
"Good!" Fred said, eagerly, "I wanted to know the end of this silly business!"
She got into the limousine, where Laura, still very white, had been placed by Howard, who put an unabashed arm about her. His impatience at Fred's delay was obvious.
"Mr. Weston! for the Lord's sake, shut her up!" he said, angrily.