The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-01-15
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Mary Hears More Of CarIa

woman with the brittle, clipped accent was going on, Its odd that one of her young admirers isn't tagging along today. I hear that former Spanish war flyer, Vincent Gregg, is completely gone on her."
 It couldn't be, Mary thought, drawing back faintly into the pro- tecting gloom of the room. Now, she wanted to shut out the doom of these words. Vincent a slave to this worldly CarlaI The voices went on mercilessly.
 "Carla Marchetta, as she calls herself, has never explained why that young count who was so much in love with her sailed on the Moravia. Why was he aboard ship in the first place? My hus- band saw him at the club the day before and, seemingly, he had no intention of going to New York then"
 "Yes, and that awful story about his suicide. In the admiralty rec ord 1t was quite definitely estab- lished that he jumped from the deck needlessly."
 The woman with the clipped ac- cent broke in again: eff you looked into that womanS past, I dare say you'd find a trail of sui- cides of men she has ensnared and then tossed aside"
 Mary was drained of all con- sciousneSS of the present. In memory, she was back on the Mo- ravia. She remembered the haunt ed eyes that had followed her tAe night of the sinking. The youth who had returned her beret.
 Had he been shadowing her that night? Perhaps to warn her of Carla? What had happened that had made him prefer to throw him. self into the sea than to be saved?
 With sudden clarity, Mary Ca2- roll recalled the first night she had seen Carla Marchetta in the restaurant. That strange feeling of foreboding when the woman's eyes had held Vincent,s. That strange note: At midnight" She was convinced now, beyond doubt, the note was from Carla and be. hind it lay the explanation of why Vincent hadn't been on the Mo. ravia.
 She wanted to crawl from the cloakroom and out of the Mayfair mansion in shame and horror.
 But something made her lift her head in new hope when one of the women spoke again. Distinctly, Mary heard her say, T feel sorry for Vincent Gregg. They say he was almost crazy when the girl he was engaged to marry went down on the Moravia."
 A slow sigh escaped her lips. That was 1t, of course. Carla was making fool of Vincent only be- cause Vincent was so shocked and shattered after the Moravia dis- aster that he was easy prey. Mary stepped from the room but re- mained close to a group of women nearby, anonymous among them.
 She had a job to do now and she was going to do 1t. There was some. thing entirely questionable about Carla, and Carlas activities.
 When Carla emerged, Mary fol- lowed her out the door and to the street where CarlaS car awaited. She was close enough to see the chauffeur whisper something to Carla as he helped her into the limousine. A startled, ugly ex- pression crossed the flawless face. why did you wait, you fool?" she missed.
 The chauffeur shrugged and got behind the wheel. Mary stood un- certainly and then saw another car pull out of the waiting line and follow the limousine.
 Mary walked back to her Soho rooms, mapping quick, perhaps foolish, plans.
 But when she reached home, everything else in her mind was swept suddenly away.
 A message had come from pr. O'Connell.
 (TO Be COntinued)