Page:That Royle Girl (Balmer).pdf/189

 "The State," said Calvin, "is not merely the State of Illinois."

"I know," she nodded. "I was here all day. I heard you. . . . Did I ever tell you how I first heard about you?"

She faced around, with her question, putting it so directly to him that he had to answer.

"No."

"Want me to tell you?"

"Yes."

"It was that night—you know."

"Yes."

"Those policemen had been going for me—Ket and me. They'd separated us and caught us saying different things—lying," she added, frankly. "One of 'em wanted to go for me again; but the other said to wait. 'Give her a rest,' he said. 'Mr. Clarke's coming.'

Who's Mr. Clarke?' I asked. You were nothing in my life then.

He's a state's attorney,' one of them told me. 'He's on his way to look you over for the State!'

"I remember those words, said that way, 'for the State,' sat me up all of a sudden with a feeling of millions and millions of people against Ket and me. I remember I looked out of the window and thought about the millions of people just in the city, and I thought a man must have a mighty nerve to come for all of them. But, God, I see now you weren't coming just for the city or even for the State of Illinois; you were coming to look me over for the world!"

"For the law," said Calvin, meaning to mitigate the offense to her, "the common law of orderly society," he continued, in his intensity upon the idea, not thinking of her.

"I heard you to-day," the Royle girl repeated, with her