Churn's excursion had justified itself, and the morning after his first
absence he went out again. Toward noon Kit, in a "ready-to-wear" looking
costume, knocked at Clo's door. "Thought you might want some candy," she
said. "Shall I come in?"
Clo was cordial, and tried to be entertaining. "If I can make her like
me, perhaps she'll go down to a meal with Churn, and leave me on guard,"
she reflected. Kit feared to stop long with her new friend lest Churn
should arrive while she was "gadding." She dodged back and forth from
room to room, and was at home to receive her husband in the afternoon.
Next morning early Clo heard Churn announce that he would meet Isaacs'
train at the Grand Central; the "old lady" had told him the time. Kit
objected. "You might miss him. Best wait at his place," she advised. But
Churn would not be persuaded. He had seen Jake again, who prophesied
that Chuff would not arrive before the afternoon. They had the whole
morning to see Isaacs and bargain with him, but it would be a waste of
time to hang about at "Isaacs' place." Churn would catch Isaacs at the
train, and bring him round to Kit. She must clear up the room, and have
everything ship-shape in an hour. But Kit's anger grew as Churn
insisted. "I know why you're mad to get to the Grand Central," she flung
at him. "Didn't you s'pose I noticed the name on the candy box. Bah! I
ain't a fool. You said you was sick of bein' boxed up with me. That put
me wise."
Churn protested innocence, and went off jauntily, but Clo looked for
developments. "Kit's mum, to put Churn off the track," she thought. "But
she means to follow him. She's bought no handbag. She can't very well
take the pearls."
Clo had read a paragraph concerning Mr. and Mrs. Roger Sands. It
referred to the "house-warming party" they were giving at their "lately
acquired cottage in Newport." Apparently the affair had been mentioned
before in the column devoted to "Society" news, but Clo had missed it.
The allusion to the "house-warming," and dinner dance set Clo's brain
whirling. Angel would be expected by her husband to wear the queen's
pearls. If he already guessed the secret, this might be a plan to force
his wife's hand. Beverley feared him. Clo had seen that. Angel must have
the pearls for to-morrow night. And they must be strung, ready to wear,
or they would be useless to her, arriving at the last moment. The girl
would have been at her wits' end, but for that quarrel next door. If Kit
did go spying on Churn...!
The door slammed after Churn. A second later Kit was knocking, calling
her new friend by her new nickname: "Kid-Kid! Let me in, quick!"
Clo let her in. Kit was pinning on a wide-brimmed hat, and had her hands
full with a veil, gloves, and parasol. "Tie this veil for me, there's a
good kid!" she panted. "I'm mad at my husband. He's off to flirt with a
beast of a girl in a candy store. They had a mash before we married.
You're goin' to be in all mornin', ain't you?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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