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relief, fancying at the time that this storm had permanently blown over.
Chapter XXXIX
In the meanwhile the day of Cowperwood's trial was drawing near. He was under the
impression that an attempt was going to be made to convict him whether the facts warranted it
or not. He did not see any way out of his dilemma, however, unless it was to abandon
everything and leave Philadelphia for good, which was impossible. The only way to guard his
future and retain his financial friends was to stand trial as quickly as possible, and trust them to
assist him to his feet in the future in case he failed. He discussed the possibilities of an unfair
trial with Steger, who did not seem to think that there was so much to that. In the first place, a
jury could not easily be suborned by any one. In the next place, most judges were honest, in
spite of their political cleavage, and would go no further than party bias would lead them in their
rulings and opinions, which was, in the main, not so far. The particular judge who was to sit in
this case, one Wilbur Payderson, of the Court of Quarter Sessions, was a strict party nominee,
and as such beholden to Mollenhauer, Simpson, and Butler; but, in so far as Steger had ever
heard, he was an honest man.
"What I can't understand," said Steger, "is why these fellows should be so anxious to punish
you, unless it is for the effect on the State at large. The election's over. I understand there's a
movement on now to get Stener out in case he is convicted, which he will be. They have to try
him. He won't go up for more than a year, or two or three, and if he does he'll be pardoned out
in half the time or less. It would be the same in your case, if you were convicted. They couldn't
keep you in and let him out. But it will never get that far--take my word for it. We'll win before a
jury, or we'll reverse the judgment of conviction before the State Supreme Court, certain. Those
five judges up there are not going to sustain any such poppycock idea as this."
Steger actually believed what he said, and Cowperwood was pleased. Thus far the young
lawyer had done excellently well in all of his cases. Still, he did not like the idea of being hunted
down by Butler. It was a serious matter, and one of which Steger was totally unaware.
Cowperwood could never quite forget that in listening to his lawyer's optimistic assurances.
The actual beginning of the trial found almost all of the inhabitants of this city of six hundred
thousand "keyed up." None of the women of Cowperwood's family were coming into court. He
had insisted that there should be no family demonstration for the newspapers to comment upon.
His father was coming, for he might be needed as a witness. Aileen had written him the
afternoon before saying she had returned from West Chester and wishing him luck. She was so
anxious to know what was to become of him that she could not stay away any longer and had
returned--not to go to the courtroom, for he did not want her to do that, but to be as near as
possible when his fate was decided, adversely or otherwise. She wanted to run and
congratulate him if he won, or to console with him if he lost. She felt that her return would be
likely to precipitate a collision with her father, but she could not help that.
The position of Mrs. Cowperwood was most anomalous. She had to go through the formality of
seeming affectionate and tender, even when she knew that Frank did not want her to be. He felt
instinctively now that she knew of Aileen. He was merely awaiting the proper hour in which to
spread the whole matter before her. She put her arms around him at the door on the fateful
morning, in the somewhat formal manner into which they had dropped these later years, and for
a moment, even though she was keenly aware of his difficulties, she could not kiss him. He did
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