nother form of attack.

"Oh, you know better than that," he declared, truculently. "You
see, we've traced the Maxim silencer. Garson himself bought it up in
Hartford."

For the first time, Mary was caught off her guard.

"But he told me----" she began, then became aware of her indiscretion,
and checked herself.

Burke seized on her lapse with avidity.

"What did he tell you?" he questioned, eagerly.

Now, Mary had regained her self-command, and she spoke calmly.

"He told me," she said, without a particle of hesitation, "that he had
never seen one. Surely, if he had had anything of the sort, he would
have shown it to me then."

"Probably he did, too!" Burke rejoined, without the least suspicion that
his surly utterance touched the truth exactly. "Now, see here," he went
on, trying to make his voice affable, though with small success, for he
was excessively irritated by these repeated failures; "I can make it a
lot easier for you if you'll talk. Come on, now! Who killed Griggs?"

Mary cast off pretense finally, and spoke malignantly.

"That's for you to find out," she said, sneering.

Burke pressed the button on the desk, and, when the doorman appeared,
ordered that the prisoner be returned to her cell.

But Mary stood rebellious, and spoke with a resumption of her cynical
scorn.

"I suppose," she said, with a glance of contempt toward Demarest, "that
it's useless for me to claim my constitutional rights, and demand to see
a lawyer?"

Burke, too, had cast off pretense at last.

"Yes," he agreed, with an evil smirk, "you've guessed it right, the
first time."

Mary spoke to the District Attorney.

"I believe," she said, with a new dignity of bearing, "that such is my
constitutional right, is it not, Mr. Demarest?"

The lawyer sought no evasion of the issue. For that matter, he was
coming to have an increasing respect, even admiration, for this young
woman, who endured insult and ignominy with a spirit so sturdy, and
met strategem with other strategem better devised. So, now, he made his
answer with frank honesty.

"It is your constitutional right, Miss Turner."

Mary turned her clear eyes on the Inspector, and awaited from that
official a reply that was not forthcoming. Truth to tell, Burke was far
from comfortable under that survey.

"Well, Inspector?" she inquired, at last.

Burke took refuge, as his wont was when too hard pressed, in a mighty
bellow.

"The Constitution don't go here!" It w