"Send
in your name as Mrs. White, and I will see you at once."
"You had better do so," said the woman, emphatically. "Now you can go."
She led the minister down the stairs, and allowed him to leave the
house. Instead of going home, he went straight to the Police
Headquarters, and made his statement to the officer in charge, and was
advised as to the course he should pursue. Then he went home, and told
his wife of the whole affair, and of the course of action he had marked
out.
The next day, precisely at noon, the so-called Mrs. White, accompanied
by a villainous-looking man, arrived at the minister's residence, and
the two were shown into his study. He received them calmly, and the
woman introduced the man, as "her friend, who had come to see fair
play." This announcement did not in the least disconcert the minister,
who proceeded to state in plain terms the events connected with the
affair of the previous night.
"You acknowledge this to be a true statement," he said to the woman.
"Yes, it is the truth," she said, "but your innocence will not keep
people from suspecting you."
"You demand the sum of two hundred dollars as the price of your silence
on the subject," he continued.
"That's my price."
"If I make it three hundred will you sign a paper acknowledging your
deceit and my innocence?" he asked, producing a roll of notes.
"Yes," she replied, after consulting with her companion.
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