was futile. The sobbing continued. With it came a plaintive
cry, many times repeated, softly, but very miserably.

"Oh, dear! Oh, dear!"

"Isn't there something else you can tell me about this woman?"
Burke inquired in desperation before the plaintive outburst. He
hoped to distract her from such grief over her predicament.

The girl gave no least heed to the question.

"Oh, I'm so frightened!" she gasped.

"Tut, tut!" the Inspector chided. "Now, I tell you there's
nothing at all for you to be afraid of."

"I'm afraid!" the girl asserted dismally. "I'm afraid you
will--put me--in a cell!" Her voice sank to a murmur hardly
audible as she spoke the words so fraught with dread import to
one of her refined sensibilities.

"Pooh!" Burke returned, gallantly. "Why, my dear young lady,
nobody in the world could think of you and a cell at the same
time--no, indeed!"

Instantly, the girl responded to this bald flattery. She fairly
radiated appreciation of the compliment, as she turned her eyes,
dewy with tears, on the somewhat flustered Inspector.

"Oh, thank you!" she exclaimed, with naive enjoyment.