The next moment Casey and Gavegan had handcuffs on the prisoners and were leading them out.

“Good for you, Larry,” Casey whispered warmly as he went by with Barney.  “I knew you were going to win out, though it might be an extra-inning game!”

At the door Barlow paused.  “I hope I’ve done everything all right, Miss Sherwood?”

“Yes—­as far as I know, Mr. Barlow.”

Again Barlow started out, and again turned.  “And you, Brainard,” he said, rather grudgingly, “I guess you needn’t worry any about that charge against you.  It’ll be dropped.”

And with that Barlow followed his men and his prisoners out of the room.

Then for a moment there was silence.  As Larry saw and felt that moment, it was a moment so large that words would only make a faltering failure in trying to express it.  He himself was suddenly free of all clouds and all dangers.  He had succeeded in what he had been trying to do with Maggie.  A father and a daughter were meeting, with each knowing their relationship, for the first time.  There was so much to be said, among all of them, that could only be said as souls relaxed and got acquainted with each other.

It was so strained, so stupendous a moment that it would quickly have become awkward and anti-climacteric but for the tact of Miss Sherwood.

“Mr. Brainard,” she began, in her smiling, direct manner, with a touch of brisk commonplace in it which helped relieve the tension, “I want to apologize to you for the way I treated you late this afternoon.  As I said, I’ve just had a talk with Dick and he’s told me everything—­ except some things we may all have to tell each other later.  I was entirely in the wrong, and you were entirely in the right.  And the way you’ve handled things seems to have given Dick just that shock which you said he needed to awaken him to be the man it’s in him to be.  I’m sure we all congratulate you.”

She gave Larry no chance to respond.  She knew the danger, in such an emotional crisis as this, of any let-up.  So she went right on in her brisk tone of ingratiating authority.

“I guess we’ve all been through too much to talk.  You are all coming right home with me.  Mr. Brainard and Mr. Ellison live there, I’m their boss, and they’ve got to come.  And you’ve got to come, Miss Ellison, if you don’t want to offend me.  I won’t take ‘no.’  Besides, your place is near your father.  Wear what you have on; in a half a minute you can put enough in a bag to last until to-morrow.  To-morrow we’ll send in for the rest of your things—­whatever you want—­and send a note to your Miss Grierson, paying her off.  You and your father will have my car,” she concluded, “Mr. Brainard and Dick will ride in Dick’s car, and Mr. Hunt will take me.”

And as she ordered, so was it.