Detective and mystery stories; Women journalists -- Fiction
“When you write again, please send your letter to Vienna, as we are
going into residence there, my husband having been unexpectedly called
to the capital. He holds an important position in the Government, as
perhaps you remember.”
Jennie was delighted to know that all inquiry had ceased, and she wrote
a long letter of gratitude to the Princess. She concluded her epistle by
saying: “It is perfectly absurd of you to envy one who has to work as
hard as I. You are the person to be envied. It is not all beer and
skittles in a newspaper office, which is a good thing, for I don’t like
beer, and I don’t know what skittles is or are. But I promise you that
the next time I have an interesting case on hand I shall write and
give you full particulars, and I am sure that together we shall be
invincible.”
But one trouble leaves merely to give place to another in this life.
Jennie was disturbed to notice that Mr. Hardwick was becoming more and
more confidential with her. He sat down by her desk whenever there was
a reasonable excuse for doing so, and he consulted her on matters
important and on matters trivial. An advance of salary came to her,
and she knew it was through his influence with the board of directors.
Although Mr. Hardwick was sharp and decisive in business matters, he
proved an awkward man where his affections were concerned, and he often
came and sat by the girl’s desk, evidently wishing to say something, and
yet quite as evidently having nothing to say; and thus the situation
became embarrassing. Jennie was a practical girl and had no desire to
complicate the situation by allowing her employer to fall in love with
her, yet it was impossible to go to him and ask that his attentions
might be limited strictly to a business basis. The crisis, however,
was brought on by Mr. Hardwick himself. One day, when they were alone
together, he said abruptly,--
“That romance in high life which you were investigating with Mr. Cadbury
Taylor did not come to anything?”
“No, Mr. Hardwick.”
“Then don’t you think we might enact a romance in high life in this very
room; it is high enough from the street to entitle it to be called a
romance in high life,” and the editor grinned uneasily, like an unready
man who hopes to relieve a dilemma by a poor joke.
Jennie, however, did not laugh and did not look up at him, but continued
to scribble shorthand notes on the paper before her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account