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Post, Melville Davisson, 1871?-1930

"The Sleuth of St. James's Square"

"
The big, thin-haired lawyer, leaving the courtroom after his
withdrawal from the case, stopped at a window arrested by the
amazing scene: The police taking the stolen money out of
Thompson's pocket; the woman in the girl's arms, and the
transfigured prisoner standing up as in the presence of a
heavenly angel. This before him . . . and the splendid motor
below under the sweep of the window, waiting before the
courthouse door, brought back the memory of his biting, sarcastic
words:
". . . or Cinderella in a pumpkin coach!"
And there occurred to him a doubt of the exclusive dominance of
life by the gods he served.


XIV. The Yellow Flower

The girl sat in a great chair before the fire, huddled, staring
into the glow of the smoldering logs.
Her dark hair clouded her face. The evening gown was twisted and
crumpled about her. There was no ornament on her; her arms, her
shoulders, the exquisite column of her throat were bare.
She sat with her eyes wide, unmoving, in a profound reflection.
The library was softly lighted; richly furnished, a little beyond
the permission of good taste. On a table at the girl's elbow
were two objects; a ruby necklace, and a dried flower.


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