Trant

“ Trant, you do not know—you cannot understand—what shadows and pitfalls surround a man in the position Mr. Bronson held. That is why, though for two years we had known and loved each other, he waited so long before asking me to marry him. I am thankful that he spoke in time to give me the right to defend him now before the world! They took his life; they shall not take his good name! No! No! They shall not! Help me, Mr. Trant, if you can—help me!"
"Inspector Walker!" said Trant tensely, "I understand that all of the sixteen men of the ring claimed alibis. ”

“ Young Winton Edwards, watching as curiously as the others, saw Trant fasten the sphygmograph on the mechanic's arm, and the stylus point commence to trace on the sooty surface a wavy line, the normal record of the mechanic's pulse.
“You see it!” Trant pointed out to the others the record, as it unwound slowly from the drum. “Every thought you have, every feeling, every sensation— taste, touch, smell—changes the beating of your heart and shows upon this little record. ”

“ The Story Told by the Pulse Record of a Russian
A dozen idlers leaned against the bar or sat in chairs tilted against the wall. Trant examined these idlers one after another closely. The only man at whom he did not seem to look was one who, as the only red-headed man in the place, must plainly be Meyan. “Red-headed” was the only description they had of him, but meager as it was, with the landlady's statement as to Meyan being in the saloon, Trant resolved to test him. ”

“ In the rear, as well as Trant could see it in the indistinct glare of the street lamps, the building seemed to fall away into a single rambling story.
As the psychologist rang the bell and was admitted, he saw at once that he had not been mistaken in believing that the cab which had passed his motor only an instant before had come from the same house; for the mild-eyed, white-haired little man, who opened the door almost before the bell had stopped ringing, had not yet taken off his overcoat. ”

“ The test I am going to make may seem so trivial to these gentlemen that I am glad to have a practical man like yourself here who has seen more in such a test as the one I am going to make now, than can appear on the surface."
"'More than appears on the surface' is the word, Mr. Trant," the captain cried impulsively. "Mr. Sheppard, it's myself has told you about Mr. Trant before; and I'll back anything he does to the limit, since I see him catch the Bronson murderer, as I just told you, by a one-cell battery that would not ring a door bell." ”

“ Trant?" cried Caryl incredulously.
"From those alone, Mr. Caryl," the psychologist smiled slightly, "through a most elementary, primer fact of psychology. Perhaps you would like to know, Lawler," Trant turned, still smiling, to the prisoner, "just wherein you failed. And, as you will probably never have another chance such as the one just past for putting the information to practical use—even if you were not, as Mr. Burns tells me, likely to retire for a number of years from active life—I am willing to tell you." ”

“ Trant stooped to the keyhole and found it plugged with paper. He caught the transom bar, set his foot upon the knob and, drawing himself up, pushed against the transom. It resisted; but he pounded it in, and, as its glass panes fell tinkling, the fumes of illuminating gas burst out and choked him.
"A foot," he called down to his trembling companions, as he peered into the darkened room. "Some one on the lounge!"
Dropping down, he hurried to a recitation room across the corridor and dragged out a heavy table. ”

“ Sam Shehan leaned against a tree, dour and unprepossessing, so much so that Elsie said to Trant,
"I can't imagine why you employ that man; he has such a horrid face, and you know people used to say he was a cattle-stealer."
Trant laughed. "He is a reformed character now, Miss Valliant, and he is devoted to me and Blake. You see we gave him his chance. A fellow can't help being born with a sour expression, can he? His appearance is against him. There isn't a better stockman than Sam Shehan on the Luya."
"The half-castes look as if they ought to belong to a pantomime," said Lady Waveryng. ”

“ Trant questioned quietly, "if you thought it possible that this stone," he handed it back, "told her who was in the room and that it was a woman who could come between you and your ward?"
"Scarcely, Mr. Trant!" Pierce flushed. "You can dismiss that absolutely. I told you a moment ago, when trying to think who could have come to ruin my work, that I have no enemy—least of all a woman enemy. Nor have I a single woman intimate, even a friend, whom Iris could possibly think of in that way." ”

“ Trant will do—for some one unknown to him—the greatest possible service—to save perhaps a life—a life! I beg him to come to —— Ashland Avenue between seven and nine o'clock to-night! Eleven! For God's sake come—between seven and nine! Later will be too late. Eleven! I tell you it may be worse than useless to come after eleven! So for God's sake—if you are human—help me! You will be expected.
"W. Newberry."
The psychologist glanced at his watch swiftly. ”

“ Ten minutes later a boy showed Trant into the young president's private room. If the psychologist had never seen Walter Eldredge's portrait in the papers he could have seen at a glance that he was a man trained to concentrate his attention on large matters; and he as quickly recognized that the pale, high-bred, but weak features of Eldredge's companion belonged to a dependent, subordinate to the other. ”

“ The officer stepped aside, and Welter, without another word, went into the hall. But when his face was no longer visible to Trant, the hanging pouches under his eyes grew leaden gray, his fat lips fell apart loosely, his step shuffled; his mask had fallen!
"Besides, we need all the men we have, I think," said Trant, turning back to the prisoners, "to get these to a safe place. Miss Rowan," he turned then and put out his hand to steady the terrified and weeping girl, "I warned you that you had probably better not come here to-night. ”

“ The acting-president called them all to places at the desks.
"This gentleman," he explained, "is Mr. Trant, a psychologist. He has just asked me, and I am going to ask you, to coöperate with him in carrying out a very interesting psychological test which he wants to make on you as men working in the bank." ”

“ Lady Garfit did not vouchsafe a reply.
"You must feel like a queen holding a court," said Trant, who had pushed his way close to her.
"Oh!" she exclaimed, "Lady Garfit makes me feel like a beggar maid dressed up. No, Mr. Trant, you mustn't put your name down so many times. Only once, please. I have promised to keep some for Mr. Frank Hallett."
Trant's eyes flamed. He left her sulkily. When the time came for his dance, he did not appear to claim it, and Elsie danced it with Blake. ”

“ Trant and Rentland stared disappointedly at this strange implement, which the girl handed to the psychologist.
"You have shown this to your stepfather, Miss Rowan, for a possible explanation of why a company checker should be so solicitous about such a thing as this?" asked Trant.
"No," the girl hesitated. "Will had told me not to say anything; and I told you father did not like Will. He had made up his mind that I was to marry Ed Landers. In most ways father is kind and generous. He's kept the coupé we came here in for mother and me for two years ”

“ The psychologist threw open the door of the inner room, showing the four Celestials in a stolid group, and summoned first Wong Bo, who spoke English.
Trant, pushing a chair to the table, ordered the Oriental to sit down and place his hands upon the plates at the table's edge before him. The Chinaman obeyed passively, as if expecting some sort of torture. Immediately the light moved to the center of the screen, where it had moved when Trant was touching the plates, then kept on toward the next line beyond. ”

“ Eldredge stared at the list in astonishment. He looked up at Trant's direct, intelligent features and checked himself. "Is there not some mistake in that last word, Mr. Trant? 'Pioseer' is not a word at all." ”

“ Miss Allison, more white than before, had risen, and laid her hand upon Trant's sleeve.
"Oh, try it, Mr. Trant!" she cried. "Try—try anything which can stop them from showing through this gambler, Kanlan, and Mrs. Hawtin that Mr. Bronson—" She broke off, and turned to the inspector. Walker was looking Trant over again. The
"Oh, try it, Mr. Trant!" she cried. "Try—try anything"
psychologist faced the police officer eagerly. ”

“ No psychologist, knowing how this record was taken, could look at it without feeling absolutely certain that the photograph and spring caused in you such excessive emotion that I am tempted to give it, without further words, the name of 'intense fright!' But if we have inadvertently surprised a secret, we have no desire to pry into it further. Is it not so, Mr. Trant?"
At the name President Welter whirled suddenly. "Trant! Is your name Trant?" he demanded. "Well, I've heard of you." His eyes hardened. "A man like you goes just so far, and then—somebody stops him!"
"As they stopped Landers?" ”

“ Just short of the end of the open dock houses, where a string of arc lamps threw their white and flickering light upon the huge, black side of a moored steamer, Rentland turned into a little shed, and the two came suddenly upon Customs Officer Dickey.
"This one next to us," the little man whispered, eagerly, to Trant, as he grasped his hand, "is the scale house where whatever is being done is done—No. 3." ”

“ Young Trant stared into the steady eyes of the president of the trustees. "Then Harrison could not have been the man in the room last night. Do you realize what that implies?" he asked, whitening. "I preferred, I said, to fix him as Harrison. That would keep both Dr. Lawrie from being the thief and any close, personal intimate of his from being the man who struck him dead here last night. ”

“ I lied; the old Spaniard was not poor—he was rich! But she can have all! I abandon all claim! Only let me go from here—let me leave her!"
"First we will see exactly what damage you have done," Trant answered. "Dr. Pierce," he turned collectedly to his client, "you have just heard the true account of last Wednesday afternoon."
"You want me to believe that she let him in—she
"Oh, speak not—speak not again!" ”

“ The psychologist turned to meet young Edwards as he hurried in, and together they went out to join the father at the motor.
“We can do nothing sooner than to-night,” Trant said, shortly, an expression of keen anxiety on his face. “I must learn more about this man, but my inquiries must be conducted alone. If you will meet me here again at seven o'clock to-night, say at the pawn-broker's shop we passed upon the corner, I hope to be able to solve the mystery of the ‘hammering man,’ and the influence he is undoubtedly exerting on Miss Silber. ”

“ Siler's eyes met Trant's with a flash of opposition. "That was because she recognized me and knew that, having been here last time there was trouble, I knew that he had been threatening her. It's a cinch! Regular minister's son, he was; the old man's a missionary, you know; spent his life till two years ago trying to turn Chinese heathens into Christians. ”

“ It is so overpowering that it cannot connect itself with her daily life; ordinary sights and sounds cannot call it back to memory. It can be awakened only by some extraordinary means such as those I used when, as far as I was able, I reproduced for her benefit just now here in your study all the sights and sounds of last Wednesday afternoon that preceded and attended her interview with Canonigo Penol."
"It seems impossible, Mr. Trant," Pierce pressed his hands to his eyes dazedly. ”

“ Neal Sheppard's matchbox—that empty, too—on floor. Around body burned matches."
"Burned matches around the body?" Trant echoed in still greater excitement.
"Yes; and on body."
"On it?"
"Yes; man, after he shot, go to him and burn matches—I think—to see him dead."
"Then they must have shot in the dark!" Trant's excited face flushed red with sudden and complete comprehension. "Of course, dolt that I was! With these shells in my hand, I should have guessed it! ”

“ Trant said, as he seated himself beside the table which held the chronoscope and took a pencil to write upon a pad of paper the words he suggested, the words associated and the time elapsing. Then he put his mouthpiece between his lips.
"Dress!" he enunciated clearly. The pendulum, released by the magnet, started to swing. The pointer swung beside it in an arc along the scale. "Skirt!" Miss Lawrie answered, feebly, into the drum at her lips. The current caught the pointer instantaneously, and Trant noted the result thus:
Dress—2.7 seconds—skirt. ”

“ The loud rat-tat-tat of a cane had shaken Trant’s door and cracked its ground glass from corner to corner, and the door was flung open to admit a determined little man, whose carefully groomed pink-and-whiteness was accentuated by his anger.
“Winton, go home!” The elder Edwards glared sternly at his son, and then about the office. “Mr. Trant—you are Mr. Trant, I suppose—I want you to have nothing to do with this matter. I prefer to let the whole affair drop where it is.”
“I reserve the right, Mr. Edwards,” the psychologist said, rising, “to take up or drop cases only as I myself see fit. ”

“ Caryl here too?—the village busybody!" the newcomer sneered, with a slight accent which showed his English education. "You are insufferably mixing yourself in my affairs," he continued, as Caryl, with an effort, controlled himself and made no answer. "Keep out of them! That is my advice—take it! Does a woman have to order you off the premises before you can understand that you are not wanted? As for you," he swung toward Trant, "you are Trant, I suppose!"
"Yes, that is my name, Mr. Axton," replied the psychologist, leaning against his desk. ”