CHAPTER XIX
BUSINESS
Helena's oppression, as of some impending blow, refused to disappear. She could not believe, whatever Geoffrey Alison might say, that their secret could be kept until the end. Every fresh notice of the book caused fresh alarm. With one accord reviewers harped upon the authorship, some of the less reputed papers embarking upon guesses.
That, to Mr. Blatchley's genuine delight, began denials. He eagerly collected all of them, and not a month had passed before Geoffrey Alison arrived full of importance and excitement. He came, now, almost daily after five; as often, quite, as in the old days before the garden-scene with Hubert; his mind full of the need to cheer this poor sad Zoë who got no joy at all from her success. Surely as it grew and there was still no prospect of detection, she would begin to think of all the money she was earning and enjoy the praise? He hoped so.
"Look at this," he said keenly, waving an extract at her.
Her tones were dull. "What is it? Another review?"
"No, an advertisement. Awfully clever and suits our game too!"
He held it out to her. In bold print it ran thus:
"WHO?
"Already the wives of the following famous authors have publicly declared that they did NOT write