The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1931-03-06

could to keep Rhoda from going to
him. She'd warned her in the letter
against answering his advertisement,
and had rubbed the warning in today
at lunch. Well then, why not 60 to
him now, as quickly as taxi could
take her to the Worcester hotel? That
was where Martin said he lived. Take
Claire's letter along as a bit Of docu-
mentary evidence.
She got the letter out Of the drawer
Of the writing desk, crammed 1t into
her ulster pocket-slammed the studio
door behind her and darted down the
two long flights of stairs to the street.
Worcester hotel" she said to the
taxi driver, who pulled up to the curb
when she signaled him.
1t was quite ride-the better part
of a mile, at least-and though she
didn't want to chill with wet blankets
the, fine warm resolution that pos
sessed her, she couldn't help doing it.
Forster might not be desirable ally
even If Claire hated him. He might
be as bad as she said he was. He
might have been her fathers arch
enemy. There wouldn't be much sat
isfaction in spelling Claire's and Max's
game if doing that involved delivering
herself over, tied hand and foot, into
the power of man like that.
And could she spoil their game?
Could she convince Forster that Claire
and his nephew were conspiring
against him? To what extent had
Claire given herself away in the letter?
She got it out to read it, but her
gaze didn't go beyond the first two
lines: Claire's address written across
the top. Claire's flat-or was 1t
Max's? Was Claire his mistress? That
was what the relation looked like GER
tainly. She was that sort Of woman,
all right, with her story of the wicked
man who had ruined her when she
was a mere girl, and the confession
she'd extorted from him. And now
she was thinking Of getting married
and wanted 1t.
Rhoda froze again like pointer get
ting wind Of prairie chicken. Had
that statement been careless bit Of
truth? Did she want to marry Max?
And was she afraid that Forster would
disinherit him If she did?
With another plunge, physical as
well as figurative, Rhoda opened the
front window and spoke again to the
chauffeur.
"rve changed my mind" she said.
Here's the address want you to go
to-" And she read him Claire's.
She hadn't a doubt she'd find the
pair Of them there; up to the elbows
in her fathers papers.
The building before which her taxi
pulled up was an oldish, three-story
stone house, remodeled, as its two
front doors indicated, into flats
Rhoda was trembling little as she
got out, but she didn't feel afraid
And she made it sound almost like a
joke when she said to the taxi driver,
swat, please. I don't think I'll be
long. But if you do hear anybody
screaming for help in there, come in
and see who it is"
There was momentary delay after
she rang Claire's bell-hers was one
of the top fiats-before the buzzer re-
leased the catch on the vestibule door,
but Rhoda heard door open at the
top of the house the instant she start
ed up the stairs. A little surprising,
that was. She hadn't expected them
to be eager to receive visitors just
now; had wondered indeed whether
they'd let her in at ALL Perhaps they
wouldn't when they saw who she was.
The woman alone was waiting for
her. Max wasn't in sight.
"What do you want?" Claire asked
sharply when she saw who it was.
But almost in the same breath she
tried to change her tactics, adding
with an uneasy laugh, "Heavens,
didn't expect you to find my paper as
quick as that!" Her color had changed
under her makeup, though, in sickly
way that made Rhoda think of lead
| poisoning.
She must get inside Claire's door,
that was the first thing to do, so she
replied, not to the question but to the
succeeding remark. YES" she said,
making her voice sound as innocent and
as amiable as she could, "it must seem
rather sudden"
AT that Claire stepped back I'M
willingly from the doorway, and Rhoda
followed her into the rather large
room that seemed to be all there was
to the apartment, except for an alcove
that formed an L, which she couldn't
see into. That was where Max was
most likely. Rhoda herself shut the
door behind her.
"Well" Claire asked. Her manner
was openly hostile Then as Rhoda,
without speaking, took deliberate
look around the room, she asked
again. "What do you want? What's
the matter with your"