“Thanks, yes; we will come at once.” Mrs. Hale was conscious of her flurried manner and her ingratiating smile was a trifle strained as she faced her handsome son-in-law. “Where is Judith?”
“She telephoned that she was lunching at the Army and Navy Club.” Richards gave no sign that he was aware of Mrs. Hale’s agitation. “Your husband is waiting for you.”
“Run down, Joe, and tell him not to wait for me.” Mrs. Hale laid her hand on Polly’s shoulder and gave her a slight push. “Go also, my dear.”
But Polly hung back. “Wait, Mrs. Hale,” she whispered feverishly. “There, Major Richards is downstairs by now. Tell me quickly who gave you Austin’s letter?”
“No one.”
“Then where did you get it?”
Mrs. Hale paused and looked carefully around—they had the boudoir to themselves, but before she spoke Mrs. Hale took the precaution to close the boudoir door.
“I found the letter this morning,” she stated, “in the leather pocket of Judith’s electric car.”
CHAPTER X
BELOW STAIRS
Anna, the waitress, found the time lagging in spite of the game of solitaire she was playing to wile away the tedium of her enforced idleness. She cast a resentful glance at her swollen ankle before shuffling the cards for the thirtieth time since she had eaten her midday meal. She had discarded the morning newspaper, and refused to find entertainment in the cheap paper novel which the cook had brought to her early in the morning, so her last and only solace was the pack of playing cards.