Though Ford had disappointed them his story had made the way clear for a decisive move. This was decided upon then and there. On Monday morning they would ask Miss Whitehall to come to Whitney & Whitney’s and subject her to a real examination. If she maintained her pose of ignorance they would suddenly face her with their complete information. They felt tolerably certain this would be too much for her, secure in her belief that no murder had been suspected. Surprise and terror would seize her, even a hardened criminal, placed unexpectedly in such a position, was liable to break down. The next day was Sunday. I’ll not forget it in a hurry. Many a high pressure day I’ve had in my twenty-five years but none that had anything over that one. It was gray and overcast, clouds low down over the roofs which stretched away in a gray huddle of flat tops and slanting mansards and chimneys and clotheslines. Babbitts spent the morning on the davenport looking like he was in a boat floating through a sea of newspapers. I couldn’t settle down to anything, thinking of what was going to happen the next morning, thinking of that girl, that beautiful girl, with her soul stained with crime, and wondering if she could feel the shadow that was falling across her. After lunch Himself went out saying he’d take a shot at finding Freddy Jaspar and going with him up to Yonkers where there’d been some anarchist row. He was restless too. If things turned out right he’d get his Big Story at last—and what a story it would be!—he’d get a raise for certain, and as he kissed me good-bye he said he’d give me the two glass lamps and a new set of furs, anything I wanted short of sable or ermine. In the afternoon Iola dropped in all dolled up and decked with a permanent smile, for she’d landed her new job and liked it fine. As she prattled away she let drop something that caught my ear, and lucky it was as you’ll see presently. On her way over she’d met Delia, the Whitehalls’ maid, who told her the ladies were going to move back to the Azalea Woods Estates where someone had given them a cottage. Delia had just been to see them and found that Mrs. Whitehall had already gone, and Miss Whitehall was packing up to follow on Monday afternoon. Iola thought it was nice they’d got the cottage but didn’t I think Miss Whitehall would be afraid of the dullness of the country after living in town? I said you never could tell. What I thought was that if there was anything for Miss Whitehall to be afraid of it wasn’t dullness. At six Iola left, having a date for supper, and a little after that I had a call from Babbitts, saying he and Freddy Jaspar had found the anarchist business more important than they expected and he wouldn’t be home till all hours.