american tragedy

Chapter 111 (1)
Chapter 39 (1)
The impressions Mason had made of his places of activity in the absence of Clyde supplemented and corroborated the impressions he had received at Lycurgus and Sharon.His relatives and friends appear to be wealthy and eager to cover up such scandals.Possessions, riches, and names and connections evidently sufficient to shelter him, their nephews who were caught, whatever the crime, the rich and powerful Griffiths did their best to find the best Lawyers to protect the family name.

Undoubtedly, only such a person would have the means to put the case aside.In this case, whether he convicts him or not, he may not be able to be a prosecutor, nor can he be nominated and elected to the long-awaited post of judge.

There are all kinds of beautiful tents scattered around the lake.Harry Baggett was sitting in front of a tent, still adjusting his rod and line.He was wearing a bright sweatshirt and flannel pants.Through the thin openings of several tents, some people could be vaguely seen, including Sandra, Bettina, Grant, and some people who had just finished swimming and were busy putting on makeup.Seeing them so respectable, Mason hesitated whether it was politically and socially appropriate for him to announce the nature of the mission.So he decided to keep it secret for a while, while he thought about his early life, and how Roberta, Alden, and the others lived differently from these people.In his opinion, with Griffith's background, it is very possible to treat a girl like Roberta so despicably, and then want to throw her away as a burden.But he still wanted the work to go on as smoothly as possible, no matter what the obstacles, so at last he approached Bagut and said to him teasingly but in a tone of great respect:

"Nice place to camp, huh?"

"Well, we thought so too."

"It seems to me that these people come from the villas or hotels in Chalonna."

"No. Maybe they're still in Green Forest Lake."

"Yes, he also came with the brigade."

"And do you know how long he was here this time—at the Cranstons', I mean?"

"Probably he came on Friday, because I saw him on Friday morning. He'll be back in a moment, so you'd better ask him yourself." With these words, Baguette ended their conversation.He began to feel that Mason was asking too many questions, not to mention that Mason was not in the same league as he and Clyde.

At this moment, Frank Harry strode over with a tennis racket under his arm.

"Frank, where are you going?"

"I don't know how the course Harrison made this morning, I want to try it."

"Who are you going with?"

"Violet, Nadina, Stuart."

"Is there room for another pitch?"

"Of course, there are two courts. How about Bettina and Clyde and Sandra?"

"Oh, come on, I've got to get this thing right first."

Mason realized immediately: Clyde and Sandra, Clyde Griffiths, Sandra Finchley—wasn't it her letters and cards in his pocket? Perhaps he could see them here She stayed with Clyde, and might be able to talk to her about him in a moment.

Just then Sandra, Bettina, and Grant came out of their tents, and Bettina called, "Listen, Harriet, do you see where Nadina is?"

"No, but Frank just left and said he was going to the court to play with her and Violet."

"Really? Well then, Sandra, let's go, and you, Grant. Let's go and see what's going on there."

Bettina called Sandra, and turned her arm around her.It was an excellent opportunity for Mason to take a closer look at the ill-fated girl, apparently unaware that she had replaced Roberta in Clyde's love.He could see very clearly that Sandra was quite beautiful and richly dressed, and that Roberta could not match her.Also, she was alive and well, while the other one was dead, lying in the morgue in Bridgeburg.

He was staring at her, and the three had walked briskly away arm in arm, and Sandra turned her head and said to Halley, "If you see Clyde, let him come over, will you?" Harley's answer Yes: "Does your shadow still need to be called him?"

This vivid and dramatic scene made Mason excited. He looked at the surrounding environment very carefully, and was even quite nervous.The real inner reason for Clyde to get rid of that girl is obvious, that is this charming Sandra and the luxurious life he longs for.How unbelievable it was that he, so young and so promising, would be willing to do such a monstrous thing! And it had only been four days since he had killed poor Roberta, and he could have played with Sandra like that , and wished to marry her, as Roberta wished to marry him.The ugliness is so unbelievable!

Since Clyde hadn't shown up, he decided to identify himself and began searching and seizing his belongings here.Suddenly Ed Swink appeared again. He shook his head and signaled Mason to follow him.Walking into the lush forest, he immediately saw a young man standing beside Niklas Kraut. He was tall and thin, neatly dressed, and his age was similar to what was stated in the material. His face was quiet and pale.Mason concluded that this was Clyde.He stepped up at once, looking as menacing as a wasp or hornet.He paused for a moment, asked Swink where and who had caught him, and then stared at Clyde with sharp and severe eyes—befitting his status as a representative of legal authority.

"So you are Clyde Griffiths?"

"Yes, sir."

"Mr. Griffiths, my name is Orville Mason, and I am the prosecutor of the Great Berton and Grass Lake districts. I think you are familiar with these two places?"

He paused to see the effect of the sharp words.He'd expected Clyde to cringe in fear, but he just stared at him, the expression in his dark eyes excessively nervous. "No, sir, I'm not familiar with it."

As he walked back step by step in the woods, Clyde settled on a belief that no matter what evidence they presented, what crime they charged him, as long as it was about himself, about him and Roberta, about Great Burton or Caohu, he couldn't even say it.He lacked the courage to do so, since it would be tantamount to admitting a crime he did not commit.And in any case, he couldn't let anyone think that he ever had such thoughts, not even Sandra, nor the Griffiths, nor any of these high-ranking friends.But now they're all here, they could come over anytime and find out why he was arrested.He had to deny having anything to do with it, but he was also in awe of the man in front of him, look at his hideous nose and those big, stern eyes.His denial will make the person feel more disgusted and hostile towards him.

Mason glanced at him, as if looking at an unknown monster in the throes of death.Clyde's denial made him resent him even more.However, judging by his pale face, I believe he might confess right away.No doubt he will.Then he went on: "Of course you understand what you are charged with, Mr. Griffiths?"

"Yes, sir, I have heard it from this man."

"You admit it too?"

"Why do you admit it? Sir, of course I don't admit it." Clyde replied.His thin lips became pale at this time, tightly closed to cover a set of neat teeth, and his eyes were extremely terrified—the kind of fear that he wanted to deliberately confuse.

"Ah, how absurd and shameful! You don't admit that last Wednesday and Thursday were at Grass Lake and Great Patton?"

"No, sir."

"Well," Mason said angrily, interrogating, "I see, you still want to deny that you knew Roberta, that you took her to Grass Lake first, and then sailed with her from Great Buckton last Thursday. Go out, you've known her all year at Lycurgus, she lives at Mrs Gilpin's, and works in your department at Griffiths, and you give her a toilet set for Christmas! I see, And you want to say you're not Clyde Griffiths, that you've never lived at Mrs Peyton's in Taylor Street, that you don't have these letters, these cards, these Roberta Alden's in your box Letters and cards from Miss Finchley!" As he spoke, he pulled out those letters and cards and waved them before Clyde's eyes.He kept on yelling, while the big face, with its flat, broken nose, and murderous jaw, loomed over Clyde, glaring at him fiercely and contemptuously.Clyde tried his best to dodge, and obviously stepped back, his spine was shivering, and his mind was in a daze.These letters! All these materials! Also, in his suitcase in the tent were all the recent letters Sandra had written to him about how she had eloped this fall.He should have destroyed these things long ago! But now, maybe this man will find them--will find them, and maybe question Sandra and everyone else.His heart was cold and shrank into a ball.His plan was poorly designed and executed to bring it to this end.He felt that he was overwhelmed like Atlas with the earth on his shoulders.

He had to deny everything, but he had to say something.At last he replied: "My name is Clyde Griffiths, and that's true, but nothing else is true. I don't know anything about those things.

"Come on, Mr. Griffiths! Don't play tricks, it won't help, it won't help you or me, and I don't have that much time to waste. You have to understand that everyone here is a witness to your words I have just come from Lycurgus, from your room at Mrs Peyton's, and I have your trunk in my hand, and Miss Alden's letter to you, evidences which you cannot deny; they prove that you knew This girl, prove that you wooed her and seduced her last winter; then, because of you, she got pregnant this spring, and you coaxed her to go home first, and then to come out to play with you, saying that she would still be with you She married. Yes, you married her, in a coffin, at the bottom of Great Patton Lake! That's how you married her! Tell you, all the proof is on me, and you Saying in front of me that you don't know her at all! To hell!"

The more he spoke, the louder his voice was, Clyde was afraid that even the camp could hear him clearly, maybe Sandra would come over if he heard it.Mason slammed down these facts that were enough to sentence him to death, and Clyde's throat tightened, and it took a lot of effort not to let his hands open and close like pliers.But at last his answer was: "Yes, sir."

"Damn it!" Mason yelled again. "Now I'm sure you're capable of killing a pregnant girl and running away! Do you want to deny her letter to you! Well, you just deny that you're here, that you're alive. You How do you explain these cards and letters? Didn't Miss Finchley send you this? What do you say about it? Can you tell me if she sent you?"

He waved the letters before Clyde's eyes.Clyde, realizing that Sandra could hear her when she yelled, and that he was likely to call her in as a witness on the spot, said, "No, I do not deny that these are letters from her."

"Very well. But didn't the letter in the box in the same room come from Miss Alden?"

"I have nothing to say on that point," Clyde replied.Mason shook Roberta's letter, blinking feebly.

(End of this chapter)