"How can we measure sins and decide which ones are big and which little? Perhaps Mr. Heath was horribly tempted to commit this one. We do not know. We are not his judges. The thing for us to do is to help him out of the mess he is in."
"Believing him guilty--you would do that?"
"You mean you would help him to evade the law? The punishment such wrongdoing merits?"
"I'd help him to get away from those who are tracking him down just as I'd help a fox to escape from the hunters."
"Yes. To give him a sporting chance, the start of those who are after him. You love Stanley Heath. Don't you want to see him go free?"
"Marcia! You mean you would deliver him over to the law?"
"As if he would! As if any criminal would."
"A criminal who thought of his soul might."
"But criminals don't think of their souls, dear. They think only of their bodies--that's probably why they are criminals."
"Well, anyway, nobody is going to round up Mr. Heath if I can prevent it," asserted Sylvia, throwing back her head. "If you won't help him get away, I will. He must go in the boat--now--today."
"Mr. Currier arrived this morning after you had gone and took the boat back to New York with him."
"Pretty cute of him to make so neat a get-away!" commented the girl with admiration. "Currier is, of course, the understudy--the accomplice."
"What sort of man was he? A gentleman, like Mr. Heath?"
"Well, no. At least he--he--. Oh, he was polite and had a nice manner--a quiet voice--"
"But he was different from Mr. Heath--an inferior--one who took orders," interrupted Sylvia.
"I hardly know. I saw very little of him," Marcia replied guardedly.
"But Mr. Heath did tell him what to do. Currier did as he said."
"In other words, he is the hands and Mr. Heath the brains of the team."
Quivering, Marcia shrunk into her chair as if she had been struck.
"Because I must, Marcia--because we must both look this affair in the face. Confess the circumstances are suspicious."
"They seem to be," she owned with reluctance.
"Perhaps not. Nevertheless it is all we have to go by and we should be fools not to take them at their face value, shouldn't we? We should at least consider them."
"Of course we should do that," evaded the woman.
"Have you considered them?" Sylvia suddenly inquired.