Bernice Bouvé, who had been standing by Nick’s side, now sprang away as if to make her escape by means of a window.
“Would you commit suicide?” asked the detective, restraining her. “It would be death to leap from that window.”
“And it is death to remain here!” cried the girl.
The next moment she fell in a faint at the feet of the detective.
As she sank to the floor her hair caught on a button of Nick’s coat, and came off, revealing a short under wig of red hair.
“There!” said Patsy. “We have found the lady’s maid who made up in so many different ways. See! She wore long black hair, then a wig of red, then her own black hair, cut short.”
“Cut short at the prison,” said Nick.
The head of the syndicate stepped forward and looked down upon the girl.
“I never supposed she lacked nerve,” he said.
“The electric chair has terrors for all,” said Nick.