The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-11-01
she gone to telephone Sheldon Blake?
CHAPTER CIV.

CHAPTER CIV
 My tete-a-tete tea with Virginia car ried me back from the friendly atmos- phere of the early afternoon to our old unsisterly relationship. She was dis trait and distant. The subject of Pat Dalton was now as distant1y taboo as if she'd forbidden: the mention of his name.
 very delicious tea couldn't warm our relations back to anything more than polite tolerance, and had a dreadful feeling that I ought to be grateful to Virginia for not putting stupid med dler-like me out of her house and her life forever.
 Just how she managed to convey her impression without saying word. I don't know. But this I do know: hadn't brought her jot nearer Pat Dalton. I had forced her confidence | a bit and made her unguarded1y ad- ] init her interest in the man who is still in name her huSband-and she'll not forgive me for knowing that Pat isn't dead to her.
 I left Virginia and walked home feeling that I'd done far more harm than good. It doesn't seem possible 1 that I can ever again hope to bring ; Pat and Virginia together. I have no | clue-nothing on which to work. don't even know what part-if any | Carlotta Sturges plays in their strange | separation-.......And awkwardly enough | I have entered into a sort of unwilling | friendship with the girl I do not de- ! spise, even while wonder if she can | be that despicable thing-a wrecker | of homes
 l Half an hours brisk walk brought me home, and there in our apart | ments entrance hall I found Phoebe and Evvy, fast in conversation. and | seemingly unconscious of the cool dis comfort of the marble bench on which | they were sitting side by side, swing | ing their heels. like a couple of chuns Almost defiantly Phoebe held up her little heart-Shaped face to be
 kissed. The last time I'd seen her~had | been when the maid had reported | that Long Distance had said the Fort Something didn't answer and she'd | rushed from the room to come back I with that trouble-brewing revelation
 that Longley the Florist had identified the sender of Virginia's anonymous flowers as a tall, blue-eyed man with | iron-Sray hair.
 In my soul I still believed that Phoebe had been calling Long Dis | tance and the Fort where Neal was. But couldn't be sure; and it wasn't
 particularly comfortable to feel that little Phoebe would lie if she found
 herself at bay.
 1 Now I had an idea that Phoebe had
 come to talk things over with me. I
 wondered if the undiplomatic person could help her. And questioning it,
 found myself almost glad that Evvy
 was there, too.
 Come up with me girls I insisted
 cordially. "I'u try to make up for
 your long cold wait in the hall" s
 Evvy laughed out her answer as we
 stepped into the elevator:
 Well, we got acquainted and that
 warmed things up. Phoebe's going to
 have dinner with me tonight to cement
 the friendship of the Harrisons and
 the Masons."
 I thought I could detect an ugly
 note in her voice and tried to con
 quer it without showing my unwil-
 ingness to have that friendship ce- mented. sa And leave Virginia alone?" I ask
 ed throwing open the door of my
 home. Virginia has a daie'' announced l Phoebe almost sulki1y. .She doeSn' t worry much about leaving me alone
 when MT. Blake invites her out.'' A shade of expression f1ickered across Evvy's face and was gone again before I could make an effort to read Re Confirmed