“It may get into the joints and cause rheumatism; it may cause neuralgia; it’s been known to affect the heart. Also it causes two-thirds of all the blindness in infants——”
And suddenly Claire laughed. “That’s Sylvia Castleman’s lookout it seems to me!”
“Oh! OH!” I whispered, losing my self-control.
“What’s the matter?” she asked, and I noticed that her voice had become sharp.
“Do you really mean what you’ve just implied?”
“That Mrs. Douglas van Tuiver may have to pay something for what she has done to me? Well, what of it?” And suddenly Claire flew into a passion, as she always did when our talk came to her rival. “Why shouldn’t she take chances the same as the rest of us? Why should I have it and she get off?”
I fought for my composure. After a pause, I said: “It’s not a thing we want anybody to have, Claire. We don’t want anybody to take such a chance. The girl ought to have been told.”
“Told? Do you imagine she would have given up her great catch?”
“She might have, how can you be sure? Anyhow, she should have had the chance.”
There was a long silence. I was so shaken that it was hard for me to find words. “As a matter of fact,” said Claire, grimly, “I thought of warning her myself. There’d have been some excitement at least! You remember—when they came out of church. You helped to stop me!”