Chapter XXIV: From Gloom to Joy

“Excuse me, Mr. Carroll, but there’s a lady outside who wants to see you.”

The proprietor of the _Bulletin_ frowned at the reporter who made this announcement. The latter’s desk was situated near the door of the editorial room, and therefore it had fallen to his lot to respond to the fair visitor’s timid knock upon that portal.

“A lady!” muttered Carroll peevishly. “Who is she, and what does she want?” This was only a short time after his painful discovery of the loss of those precious negatives, and he was not feeling at all in the mood to receive visitors.

“She says that she wants to sell you some pictures, sir--some photographs,” the reporter announced.

The frown upon Carroll’s face deepened. “Tell her I don’t want any,” he said. Pictures were a very sore subject just then. “Tell her to come around some other day, when I’m not so busy.”

The Camera Chap, who was seated at Carroll’s elbow, smiled. “Why not see what she’s got?” he suggested mildly. “Don’t be a grouch, Fred. Maybe these pictures may be something we want--something that will be newsy enough for to-morrow’s front page, to take the place of the missing ones.”

Carroll shook his head. “Precious little chance of that,” he grumbled. “I’ll bet they’re photographs of the latest Paris fashions, a new style of hair dressing, or some such rot. However, I suppose I’d better see her.”

Two minutes later he was mighty glad that he had come to this determination. He jumped to his feet with an exclamation of astonishment as he caught sight of the girl advancing toward his desk.

“Melba!” he cried. “You here--in the _Bulletin_ office! What on earth does this mean?”

The girl laughed. “Why, really, Fred, this isn’t a very gracious reception. You actually seem more alarmed than glad to see me--doesn’t he, Mr. Hawley?”

“I am tickled to death to see you, of course,” declared Carroll soberly. “But at the same time I am completely staggered by your visit. This is the first time you have ever braved your uncle’s wrath by venturing into the _Bulletin_ office, so I can’t help thinking that something serious must have happened.”

“Not at all,” was the smiling answer. “I am here merely on a matter of business. As I explained to the nice young man who greeted me at the door, I have come to try to sell you some photographs.”

She opened her hand bag, and, taking therefrom some films, threw them upon the desk.

As Carroll picked them up, he uttered an exclamation of joyous amazement.

“Look here, Frank,” he cried excitedly. “A miracle, if ever there was one! If these are not the negatives, I’ll eat my hat.”

The Camera Chap stared at the pictures.

“By Jove, so they are!” he exclaimed jubilantly. “This is too good to be true, Miss Gale. May I inquire how you got them, or is it a secret?”

Melba had no desire to make a secret of it, and, in as few words as possible, she explained the ruse she had employed.

Carroll and the Camera Chap chuckled with glee over her story, but suddenly the former grew grave.

“It is mighty fine of you to have done this thing for me, little girl,” he said, “and I shall never forget it; but, of course, it is quite out of the question for us to use these pictures now.”

“Why?” exclaimed Melba, in dismay. “What’s the matter with them?”

“Because it would get you in bad with your uncle if we were to use them,” said Carroll. “Do you suppose for a minute that I’m going to permit you to get into trouble for my sake?”

Melba shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose I’m going to get into trouble, anyway,” she said. “Whether or not you publish the pictures won’t make the slightest difference, Fred. My uncle has learned by this time of the deception I practiced on his photo-engraver, and, of course, he must realize why I sought to gain possession of those negatives. Naturally he and my cousin will be very angry, and I suppose there’ll be a scene when they come home this evening.” She laughed defiantly. “But I don’t care. If they say anything to me I’ll tell them plainly just what I think of their shameful conduct.”

Carroll looked at her admiringly. In spite of her defiant attitude, he knew that she secretly dreaded the ordeal before her. Old Delancey Gale’s anger never took the form of violence; it found vent in sneering, caustic sentences which, to a girl of Melba’s sensitive nature, were much more painful than abuse. Carroll was aware, for she often confided the fact to him, how greatly she feared her uncle’s venomous tongue.

“You’re a brave little girl,” he said tenderly. “But I’m awfully sorry that you’ve put yourself in bad on my account. But perhaps it isn’t too late, even now.”

“Not too late for what?” the girl inquired.

“You must take these pictures back to the _Chronicle_ office right away,” Carroll said firmly. “It is quite possible that your uncle and cousin have not as yet made the discovery that they are missing. If so, there is no reason why they should ever learn what you have done, Melba. I guess you can persuade the man in charge of the photo-engraving room to keep mum on the subject. Don’t you think that’ll be the best plan, Frank?”

“I certainly do,” the Camera Chap agreed sadly. “Even though it means the loss of the pictures to the _Bulletin_.” He turned smilingly to the girl. “I have no doubt, Miss Gale, that without telling a downright fib you can manage to give your uncle the impression that after taking the films you were seized with remorse, which caused you to bring them back again. That surely ought to appease him.”

The girl frowned. “I shall do no such thing,” she declared indignantly. “I should just like to see myself taking those pictures back to the _Chronicle_ office. They stole them from you, and I was justified in recovering them for you in the way I did.”

“But you must take them back, Melba,” Carroll insisted. “And, what’s more, you must do it as quickly as possible. There isn’t a minute to be lost. Now, don’t be stubborn, little girl,” he pleaded. “We are not going to use the pictures, so nothing whatever will be gained by your refusal to take them back; and you might just as well save yourself from unpleasantness at home.”

“But you are going to use them!” Melba declared firmly. “I insist upon it, Fred. If I don’t see them on the front page of to-morrow’s _Bulletin_, I shall never speak to you again. And I mean that, too.”

Realizing that she did mean it, Carroll turned helplessly to the Camera Chap. The latter came promptly to the rescue.

“It is quite evident that Miss Gale overestimates the importance of those snapshots,” he said craftily. “Use them on the front page? That would be very bad judgment from a journalistic standpoint, I think. The news value of the pictures doesn’t entitle them to such a prominent position.”

“Certainly not,” said Carroll, catching the cue instantly. “As Mr. Hawley says, Melba, you are laboring under a wrong impression. Those pictures aren’t of any great importance. Whether we publish them or not really won’t make very much difference to the _Bulletin_. So you see, Melba, you’ll only be embarrassing us by insisting that we use them. Now that you know the real state of affairs, won’t you take them back like a good girl?”

“No, I won’t!” replied Melba. She laughed merrily. “You boys must be very simple if you imagine that I am to be deceived so easily. In spite of what you say, I know that those pictures were intended to be the star feature of to-morrow’s issue.”

“Not at all,” Carroll protested, felling that the circumstances warranted him in “lying like a gentleman.”

The girl laughed again. “Don’t you suppose I saw how hugely delighted you both were when you first picked up those films and recognized them as the stolen ones? It was only after Fred suddenly realized that my act might get me into trouble at home that you both made any attempt to hide your great joy at getting them back again. Besides which, my common sense tells me that my uncle and cousin wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble, to get hold of them if they hadn’t known that they were of great value. No, Fred; it is very manly and generous of you to want to make this sacrifice, but I am not going to let you do it. I insist upon your using these pictures. If I don’t see them in to-morrow morning’s paper--well, I’ve told you what the consequences will be.”

After some further argument, the two men saw that it was quite useless to attempt to alter her decision, and Carroll very reluctantly promised her that the snapshots would be used.

“And now,” said Melba, highly elated over her victory, “let me tell you the price of these films. You know I told you that I had come to sell them to you--not to give them. I sincerely hope that you won’t haggle over the terms, Mr. Editor.”

“Well, that all depends,” Carroll replied laughingly. “If you set too high a price on them, I am afraid we shall have to turn you down. I don’t mind admitting to you that the _Bulletin’s_ treasury is in none too flourishing a condition just now. We are obliged to turn over every cent before we decide to spend it.”

“I don’t want anything out of the _Bulletin’s_ treasury,” the girl said. “The price of these pictures, Fred, is the forgiveness and reinstatement of Miggsy.”

Carroll’s face grew grim. “Nothing doing,” he said firmly. “I’ve no use for traitors. What that young scamp did shows that he is thoroughly vicious. You can’t reasonably expect me to take him back, Melba.”

“But he is only a child, Fred,” the girl pleaded. “And just think how strongly he was tempted. He is thoroughly penitent now. I am quite sure he would never make a mistake like that again.”

She turned appealingly to the Camera Chap. Her intuition told her that she would find an ally in that generous, broad-minded young man. “Don’t you think that poor Miggsy ought to be given another chance, Mr. Hawley?” she said.

“Indeed I do,” was the prompt reply. “See here, Fred, as Miss Gale says, Miggsy is only a kid. Even a full-grown man might have found it difficult to resist the inducements that those fellows probably offered. Let’s not be too hard on the youngster. He’s been punished quite enough, I think. The crooked deal he got from the _Chronicle_ was a lesson he won’t forget in a hurry.”

“Besides,” said Melba, “don’t forget, Fred, that we owe the recovery of these negatives entirely to him. If Miggsy hadn’t worked that clever ruse on your photo-engraver, I shouldn’t have had the least idea how to get the pictures out of the hands of the _Chronicle’s_ photo-engraver. I merely copied his plan. You ought to take that into account.”

The childlike argument caused Carroll’s face to relax into a smile. “A woman’s logic is certainly a wonderful thing,” he chuckled. “It seems to me that if the boy hadn’t worked that trick in the first place, there wouldn’t have been any occasion for you to copy it at all. However, since you are both against me, I suppose I have got to give in. Miggsy shall have another chance. I’ll send somebody out to find him and bring him back.”

The Camera Chap, happening to glance out of the window at that moment, saw something which brought a broad grin to his face.

“I guess you won’t have to search far for him,” he announced. “Unless my eyes greatly deceive me, he is standing on the other side of the street at this very minute, gazing wistfully up at these windows, like a little fox terrier who has been turned out of the house. Take a peep at him, Fred. If the expression of abject misery on that young countenance wouldn’t melt the hardest heart, I don’t know what would.”

Carroll stepped to the window, and, catching Miggsy’s eye, beckoned to him to come up.

Mistrust of his ex-employer’s intentions would have caused the boy to ignore this summons and take to his heels in panic, if Melba had not come to the window, and, standing beside Carroll, smiled down encouragingly to him.

The sight of his fair champion reassured Miggsy. His heart beating wildly, he crossed the street, entered the Bulletin Building, and came very sheepishly into the presence of the man whom he had wronged.

“Mr. Carroll,” he began stammeringly, “I--I don’t know how----”

“That’s all right, Miggsy,” the proprietor of the _Bulletin_ interrupted gruffly. “Never mind trying to explain. Just forget all about this unfortunate incident, and get back to your work. For the rest of the day, Miggsy,” he added, “I want you to stand on guard out in the hall, and watch very closely whoever goes upstairs to the photo-engraving room. If Neilson has any visitors, notify me promptly.”

Hawley grinned as he listened to these instructions. “You seem to expect callers, Fred,” he remarked dryly.

“Well, I think it quite likely that we shall get some,” Carroll replied.