New Britain herald., 1930-06-30

were moved, a picture that had hung slightly awry for some time was strengthened - it was placed lack of Alans chair and though Phillipa often had noticed that it was crookedly hung, she had not bothered to put it right-and the desk was put in order.
 Phillipa went over to it and stood surveying Natalie's worll. There was little on the desk to place. for Alan kept it fairly clear. But he had appeared to leave on sudden impulse and Phillipa had several times reminded herself that she must come in and clear off lis desk
 But she had delayed and Natalie had done 1t. Phillipa tossed her head with an angry sniff, when she saw that Natalie had left flowers on it. A bunch of vlolets. that she had been wearing, probably, al- though Phillipa could not recall having seen them before.
 The flowers were not in water. Natalie might have forgotten them there. With a quick bounce. Phil 1 lIpa grabbed them up and threw them into the waste-basket. Then she saw, beside the basket, handkerchief. Easy to guess that l f belonged to Natalie. Gingerly, Phillipa picked it up and dropped 1 i. on the violets. She wiped her fingers fastidiously. The handkor- chief had been wet, Phillipa couldn't help wondering if Natalie had left it as evidence of her weep ! ing. It would have been an effeC- tive touch had Alan found it. she l thought.
 { Over the handkerchief she threw a piece of paper After that. she opened the window. An elusiyeIy
 faint trace of perfume hung on the
 air It might be the odor of the yiolets, though Phillipa did not be- neve that 1t was. More likely, it
 vas the perfume Natalie used, she
 conjectured. Alan might recognize
 it,
 She opened another window and
 only when the room had grown
 ChHlv did she close them.
 She had been, for several mo-
 ments. indifferent to the change
 In the temperature. For she vas
 warm with the excitement of a
 scheme that had popped into her
 mnd all o< q sudden while she
 was thinking of Natale's visit
 thore.
 She was working it out win
 magical ease. She could tell Alan
 that Natalie had come in after he
 telephoned and that she did not know what she wanted. She could
 say that Natalie had acted F . though she'd come to renew the } quarrel
 The rest-welL there was alwaes
 chance that any plot would fail , Put this one was worth trying out She took up the letter from Berna, s dine and scanned it carefully, Yes i. could he done
 She got up and started 10 lock 5 the door heEer to get he
 own things. She went out and got s what she wanted. Back in the prl. , yata office she locked the door, witt i as n-tle noise as possible. ] Then she flew 10 AIan's desl ? and seated herself there. She be ' gan her work with infinite patience ] Should Alan interrupt her-he va
 TO. likely to. bu. should he-sh' n was prepared to say that she. s locked herself in for q little crH. f II did ror take long, with al V her care. 10 complete her task, sh . held the finished product up b. s fore her and studied it with grow Hing satisfaction and elation.
 Certainly Alan would not dis ] cover what she had done, she as D sured herself.
 e Its fortunate that I could pic i bum stock that would fit in th 2 same space" she reflected gloatlng ;. ly- This is just as sure a bet I ,t the other -only lr's in reverse. c she laughed "Phillipa, you're :.
 be congratula- -edt'
 IT As q craftsman. she was irde- -- to he congrotulated. Where Der # nadine had written the name ( L. the stock she wished Alan 0 bu l for her. Phillipa had written or J. that she knew 10 be unsound. B,
 not too unsound: that might arous r. suspicion. And there was only th 0 slightest roughness of the papC IT 10 show what she had done; exceI
 10 one who might scrutinize in ,s handwriting closely and detect 7s difference.
 ~s And who is going to do that: