“I see—” A light dawned.
“So I engaged her. She looked the part and seemed a gentle, pathetic soul—and now she’s blackmailing me.”
He grinned in spite of the seriousness of it. “Is she likely ever to squeal?”
“Not as long as I give her all the money she wants. But it’s getting on my nerves. She makes my life miserable by threatening to take my story to the newspapers.”
“Next time she does it, send for me and I’ll bully her [54] ]into keeping quiet.” He made a move toward the door. “Is she here? I’ll do it now.”
“No—no!” She stopped him. “Let well enough alone.”
He took her hand. “Poor kid, you are in a mess!”
“I’ve committed suicide, Lou,” she said abruptly.
He looked at her silently, then shook his head. “What else is bothering you?”
“What—what makes you ask that?”