As she was thinking on the street, her steps were led almost involuntarily to Sixty-eighth Street. Standing for a moment on the corner of that street and Fifth Avenue, she suddenly made up her mind, and, walking rapidly down the street, went to the Rainforth house and rang the bell.
When the door was opened, Ida said to the servant:
“Is Miss Julia Rainforth in?”
“What name am I to present?” asked the servant.
“My name will mean nothing to Miss Rainforth,” said Ida. “Tell her a lady would like to see her on a matter of much importance.”
The servant ushered Ida into a small reception-room on one side of the hall, and disappeared.
He was back again in a few moments with a message that Miss Rainforth desired to know the business of the person who had called.
“Inform Miss Rainforth,” said Ida, “that the business I have come about is that which Miss Rainforth will not care to have known to her servants.”
The servant went off, and was back again in a few moments, bringing with him some paper, a pencil and an envelope.
“Miss Rainforth,” he said, “orders me to say that, if the business cannot be stated to a servant, it can be written on this paper.”