CHAPTER XXI
THE INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE
Meanwhile, the investigating committee had been appointed, and the daycame when witnesses were to be examined. The committee sat in theafternoon only, so as to make it possible for all to attend withoutsacrificing their state work. Masters, of course, was there, Chairo,too, and Ariston, who continued to act for Chairo. Ariston had consultedwith me as to the wisdom of preparing Masters for the testimonyimplicating Neaera, which we knew would be elicited. But I preferred toallow events to take their course.
The first witness called was one of those who had attacked the House ofDetention and been wounded. He had clearly remained devoted to Chairo;for to every question put to him, which tended to implicate Chairo, hedisplayed astonishing forgetfulness; but as soon as the examination boreupon my interview with Balbus, at which he had been present, he statedevery circumstance exactly as it had happened, except that he was,perhaps, more severe on Neaera than she deserved.
"She would not allow Balbus to speak," he said. "She walked right overfrom the corner where she was writing and wouldn't allow Balbus to say aword."
He even insisted that it was Neaera who had ordered my arrest, andpersonally supervised the act of binding me to the chair.
Masters' brow grew dark at this attack on Neaera, and he undertook tocross-examine the witness, but did it clumsily and ineffectually. Hisprincipal effort was to induce the witness to admit that Neaera hadalready received orders from Chairo that an attempt at rescue was to bemade whatever apparently contradictory messages might be received,whether purporting to come from him, Chairo, or from others.
This line of cross-examination incensed Chairo who was indirectlycharged by it with having sent me on a message for the purpose ofassuming an air of innocence, when he all the time intended the attemptat rescue to be made.
Ariston with great difficulty kept Chairo from angry interruption; andon redirect examination, which he was allowed in Chairo's interest toconduct, strengthened the evidence of Chairo's good faith.
The next witness was clearly of Hibernian descent, for he at once tookthe entire committee and audience into his confidence. "I'll tell youall about it," he said. "I'm the janitor of the 'Liberty' offices, and Iknow all about it from the beginning."
He then proceeded to give a complete history of his own life from theearliest years he could remember, and he assured us that he would gostill further back if he could; that he had nothing to conceal from thecommittee, and would tell them "all about it from the very beginning."
Over and over again he was interrupted by the committee, who complainedof the irrelevancy of his testimony. "And would you have me holdanything back?" he said indignantly. "Haven't I sworn to tell the wholetruth as well as nothing but the truth?"
"We only want to hear you in connection with the organization and armingof forces by Chairo with a view to violence and the subsequent attemptupon the House of Detention."
"And haven't I known Chairo all my life," responded the witnesstriumphantly, "and isn't that just what I'm telling you? Just leave mequiet," he added, "and I'll tell you the whole thing from thebeginning."
The committee, thinking time would in the end be saved, gave the witnessrope, of which he was not slow to take advantage, for he interlarded hisnarrative with stories so comic that the committee was at last obligedto interfere again. But his wit was equal to every emergency, and afteran hour spent in the futile effort to extract information from him, hewas released. A broad wink at Chairo as he left the witness box set theaudience in a roar, but did not help Chairo's case.
The third witness was another of the party which had attacked the Houseof Detention, and he clearly was actuated by no desire to shield Chairo,for he testified to details so damaging to him that no one had anylonger any doubt as to Chairo having organized a vast conspiracy againstthe State. He had himself been one of Chairo's lieutenants, and he gavethe names of the men that had joined him, the weapons that had beensecured, the date of his first instructions from Chairo, and theirtenor; in fact, nothing was left untold. He was not present when Icarried Chairo's message to Balbus.
Ariston cross-examined him with great skill, tripped him up as to someof his dates and details, and even threw some confusion into histestimony regarding the character of the instructions. But as to themain facts his testimony was unshaken.
The examination and cross-examination of these three witnesses occupiedthe whole of the first day; and as Chairo, Ariston, and I returnedslowly to our quarters we found it difficult to speak. Chairo was stillangry with Masters, and expressed himself on the subject in a fewexplosive sentences. Ariston reminded Chairo that Masters was an oldadmirer of Neaera's, and I felt almost guilty at withholding from themthat he had actually married her.
After our plunge, Ariston and I brightened up a little, but Chairoremained profoundly depressed.
"The fact is," he said, "I am beginning to look at things from adifferent point of view. This military organization of ours was agigantic mistake."
"Violence can only be justified," said Ariston, "by some publicnecessity or injustice; no isolated personal grievance can possiblyjustify it."
"We thought that this whole Demetrian cult had become a social evil, butothers evidently do not."
Chairo's manner had so changed from what it was when I first met himamong the hills of Tyringham that my mind was set upon inquiring as tothe cause, and I could not help suspecting that his misgivings were forthe most part due to Lydia.
I felt that I was _de trop_ and found some excuse for leaving them.
Later Ariston told me that although Chairo was profoundly discouraged,strange to say, he had expressed little concern about himself or hispolitical aims; what he used to describe as "The Cause," and reallymeant his own ambition, seemed to have entirely passed out of his mind;his whole concern now was for Lydia.
The examination of witnesses during the next few days resulted in aconfirmation of all the facts brought out on the first day; Chairo hadclearly undertaken a vast and dangerous conspiracy against the state; hehad, in good faith, sought at the last moment to prevent violence, andNeaera was wholly responsible for the attempt at rescue. Masters and hisfollowing alone persisted in endeavoring to shield Neaera. According tothem, instructions had been given by Chairo to both Balbus and Neaerathat in case of any accident happening to himself, the attempt was to bemade to rescue him, and that this attempt was to serve as an excuse forthe violence which they felt indispensable to the defeat of theDemetrian cult.
As the examination was drawing to a close, Ariston pointed out to methat I was probably the only man who could persuade Masters of hismistake; he also urged that not only Chairo's fate hung in the balancebut Lydia's also.
Ariston told me that Lydia's letters to him plainly showed that her ownhopes as to the passage of the amnesty bill had come to an end, and thatthe subject under discussion between them now was what they should do incase the amnesty bill was not passed.
While we were talking over the matter in our apartment, we wereastonished to receive the visit of Masters, for of late Masters hadfailed to recognize any of our party in the courthouse, and we fearedthat the issue regarding Neaera's responsibility had occasioned apermanent break in the ranks of the opposition.
When Masters entered the room he made no pretense of cordiality; heapologized conventionally for intruding, and explained that his visitwas due to a letter received from Neaera that day, in which she hadurged him to see me, as she was convinced I could set his mind at restregarding her innocence.
I perceived without difficulty that Neaera must have been reduced todesperate straits in order to have recourse to such a reckless measure,and that the correspondence between Masters and her must have betrayedconsiderable doubt in Masters's mind as to the truth of her statementsconcerning her connection with the business. I was determined to learnfrom Masters as far as possible what was his present attitude to Neaera.So I asked:
"You have heard the witnesses; wha
t is your own impression of thematter?"
"You could not expect me to believe them, could you?"
There was an expression of agony on Masters's brow which made me feelstrongly drawn to him.
"Shall Ariston stay while we talk about this?" asked I.
"Yes," said Masters, turning to Ariston. "It is well that you shouldknow that Neaera is my wife."
Ariston put up both hands with an involuntary expression of dismay, thesignificance of which Masters did not fail to take in. He looked at mehalf in despair, half in inquiry.
"Ariston understands now," I said, "why you have undertaken to vindicateNeaera."
"I should have undertaken to vindicate her in any event," answeredMasters. "She is a woman, and a concerted effort is being directedtoward making a scapegoat of her."
"The witnesses," I answered, "are certainly unanimous on the subject."
"From what you say," Masters said, "I gather that you do not disbelievethem."
The veins in Masters's forehead were swelling with the effort he wasmaking to hide his indignation.
"I have been at great pains to be released from the obligation oftestifying," I answered, "because I have not wished to injure her,because, above all," I added, "I have not wished to injure you."
We had remained standing during this conversation, but when I saidthis--and in saying it I tried to make Masters feel that I was sorry forhim--he turned away a little and sank sideways upon a chair. He leanedone arm on the back of it, bowing his head upon his hand, and after amoment's pause turned to me again; his face was white now.
"If that is your reason for not testifying I am obliged to you," hesaid. "But which is your real reason--to spare Neaera or to spare me?"
"I have no more reason for sparing Neaera than that she is a woman; Ihave every reason for sparing you."
Masters looked at me inquiringly.
"I have nothing to conceal from you," I continued.
"Then tell me just what happened," answered Masters.
I took a seat and so did Ariston, and thought for a moment how I couldtell the facts in so far as they concerned the attempt at rescue withoutdisclosing Neaera's designs upon myself. I confined myself to the partshe played when I gave Chairo's message to Balbus.
"Might not this have been done by Neaera," asked Masters, "in compliancewith a prior understanding with Chairo?"
"I cannot believe," said I, "that there was any such understanding;indeed, I am convinced that if Neaera was not herself the cause ofChairo's capture, she was a party to it." I told then the story of thetampering with Chairo's carriage.
"Could not this, too, have been a part of the plot?" pleaded Mastersdesperately.
"A part of Neaera's plot, not a part of Chairo's. No one can talk tenminutes with Chairo now without being convinced that his first objectwas to get possession of Lydia; the political intrigue in the lateststage of the affair became altogether a secondary matter."
"Neaera was not," interrupted Ariston, "pleased with the role Lydiaplayed in the matter. At one time there was no small intimacy betweenChairo and Neaera; Neaera is not a woman to see her place taken byanother without vindictiveness. In preventing the escape of Chairo shewas serving a double purpose; she kept the issue alive, and shesatisfied a personal pique."
Masters looked at me as though to learn my opinion on this view.
"I gathered this: from a few words Neaera dropped after she had set mefree," I said; "she told me that all Chairo wanted was Lydia."
Masters jumped up from his chair.
"Then you would have me believe," said he, "that my wife is a vixen!"
At this I jumped up too.
"Masters," I said, "I have told you the facts because I felt you wereentitled to them. If you cannot stand hearing the facts you should nothave asked for them."
There was a moment when it seemed doubtful whether we might not come toblows; but the flash went out of Masters's eye as he looked at me, andpresently he held out his hand to me and said:
"I am sure you have intended to render me a service, and I suppose inthe end"--he paused a moment as he shook my hand, and added--"in the endit will prove to be so."
Then, taking up his cap and cloak, he said:
"At any rate there need be no hard feeling between myself and Chairo,but I am a little dazed by what I have heard, and so I shall ask youboth to keep this interview confidential for a time. In a few days Ishall know better just how to act."