Edward sat morbidly rejoicing that he was as much different from them as it was possible to be. He even valued the pain in his head because it set him apart from them.
One day a familiar face among the waiting women occurred like one of the dreams that he could not believe in. It was Mrs. Melsie Ponting but Edward ran to her like a lover. She quite obviously regretted his appearance; obviously she did not wish him to know whom she intended to meet there. She enjoyed the excitement of concealing something. She had a rendezvous with the medical student, Pike, whose face Edward had neither liked nor committed to memory. The danger of discovery by Edward, therefore, was very slight, but Mrs. Ponting fortunately did not know this. She loved petty danger connected with petty love. The excitement made her eyes look almost as large as they were painted.
Edward leaned towards her eagerly and asked her for news of all his friends except Emily.
“My dear, isn’t it exciting about Rhoda!” chattered Melsie. “I’m perfectly sure she’ll get the maximum sentence. She’s so high and mighty she doesn’t have any of the artifices that you and me would probably get away with. She won’t even come out of jail on bail. Avery Bird is mad. Everybody wants to find Avery to ask him for news, but he’s like a spook—you never find him unless you’re not looking for him, and then you see him speeding in a taxi down Van Ness towards the Hall of Justice. My dear, I must tell you a joke on Banner Hope—you know he is located in Oakland, but he doesn’t like to have us know it—who would? Banner vamped a flapper at Jove Pinelli’s and took her—where d’you think?—to Rhoda’s empty studio. This is how he squared the janitor——”
“Melsie, tell me, where is Emily?”
Melsie was affronted. She was glad that she had something to say that would hurt Edward.
“Emily? Oh, Emily’s gone to China.”
Edward was at once very angry. He was so angry that there was a swollen feeling below his ears. It was outrageous that mention of the innocent and lovely name of Emily should produce nothing but this shocking parrot cry—“Emily? Oh, Emily’s gone to China....” Why was this conspiracy directed against him? Emily would not wish it. Emily would wish gentle and exciting things to be said of her.... “Emily is here—on her way to see you....” “Emily is gathering poppies for you in the fields behind Alameda....” “Emily would never go far from you, Edward....”
“No, she is shameless. That is the message she meant to leave for me. ‘Emily? Oh, Emily’s gone to China.’”
“Yes, sirree—bob, she’s gone to China,” repeated Melsie. “Furthermore, Edward, she’s taken my kiddie with her. It was a bully chance for me, since you were such a piker. They’re all touring the Orient together—she and my honey and Mr. and Mrs. McTab.”