Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-11

all. They would not arrest her mother
any more than they had arrested her.
One could go to the district attorney
and tell him the truth, and, so ions
as there was no conspiracy, and the
money was returned, there would De
no punishment. She knew that now:
She made a bargain with herself: II
her mother would clear Howard, she
would pay the price. She would mar
ry Furness, if he still wanted her.
She went down the stairs when she
heard the door open, and found Mrs.
Bayne, her arms filed with bundles,
her face radiant.
"Oh. my DEAR" she said. Such a
morning! I'm so tired l could drop"
She sat down, a trif1e breathlessly.
LAS soon as / can walk, Wen go up
and open these things" she went on.
II bought a new rug for the Vestl-
bule. The old one was dreadful"
Have you had anything to eat?'
There was a new gentleness in the
girls voice. To SEQ all this happi-
ness and to know one was going to
kill tit was cruel.
II lunched downtown, and 1 ate
cabbage. Stupid of me, but l like 1t,
and one can't cook it in the house. 1t
smells so. / think I'll take little
soda"
She felt around in her lap, prepar-
atory to rising, then, still sitting, she
glanced about her on the floor.
What is it you are looking for,
mother?" Holly asked
"My purse" replied Mrs. Bayne.
It's here somewhere. I've dropped
it,"
But it was not there. Nor was it in
the hall. nor in the vestibule, nor on
the street. Afterward, Holly was al
ways to remember her mother, the
agoniZed look on her face and the
stiffness of her lips. as she talked on
Il had it in the taxi. / took out a
dollar for the man; see, 1 still have
the change" She held out her hand
And then I closed it again. 1 must
have dropped it there"
How much was in it?'
six hundred and ten dollars"
Mrs. Bayne turned slowly and
stared at herself in the mirror. Then
without any warning, she fell in a
dead faint.
James still sat in the living room
The events of the day and Warning
tons visit that evening had left him
benumbed. The very futility OF
ready to shake his fist at the world
but the world was callous to the shak
ing of fists. 1t recognized only eff
fective action-and he could not act
Won't you come to bed, James,
Margaret had said. You need to sleep
and forget things for a while"
Not now" he said, and looked at
her with eyes that were at once hard
and hurt.
II could warm some milk. If you
have something in your stomach, ii
will make you sleepy"
don't want to Sleep" he protested
vehemently. 1--WE got to think. I've
got to think this thing out"
She was suffering; he knew that. All
her new vitality had been drained
from her. She might have been the
Margaret of six months ago. He was
afraid to look at her hands, so sure
he was that she had clenched the left
one.
You go to bed" he told her
roughly. I'm come in later"
He heard her moving about, un.
dressing, the slow sound Of the brush
over her hair, the two small knocks
Of her slippers on the floor, and the
soft rustic as she got into the bed
He wanted to go in, to kneel beside
he- and put his head down and be
comforted.
But how could he?
She was keeping something from
him, something that she and War
rington both knew.
At 2 o'clock in the morning he tip