"Why, Molly!" he exclaimed, surprised; "this is exceedingly nice of you----" "Oh, Ricky, I'm glad to see you! But I don't want to buy a house or sell one or anything. I'm very unhappy--and I'm glad to see you----" She pressed his hand with both her gloved ones; he closed the door and returned to the office; and she seated herself on top of his desk. "You dear boy," she said; "you are thin and white and you don't look very happy either. Are you?" "Why, of course I'm happy----" "I don't believe it! Anyway, I was passing, and I saw your shingle swinging, and I made the chauffeur stop on the impulse of the moment.... How are you, Ricky dear?" "First rate. You are even unusually pretty, Molly." "I don't feel so. Strelsa and I came into town for the afternoon--on the most horrid kind of business, Ricky." "I'm sorry----" "You will be sorrier when you hear that about all of Strelsa's money was in that miserable Adamant Trust Company which is causing so much scandal. You didn't know Strelsa's money was in it, did you?" "No," he said gravely. "Isn't it dreadful? The child doesn't know whether she will ever get a penny or not. Some of those disgusting men have run away, one shot himself--you read about it!--and now they are trying to pretend that the two creatures they have arrested are insane and irresponsible. I don't care whether they are or not; I'd like to kill them. How does their insanity concern Strelsa? For three weeks she hasn't known what to think, what to expect--and even her lawyers can't tell her. I hate lawyers. But _I_ think the chances are that her pretty house will be for sale before long.... Wouldn't it be too tragic if it came into your office----" "Don't say such things, Molly," he said, bending his head over the desk and fumbling with his pen. "Well, I knew you'd be sympathetic. It's a shame--a crime!--it's absolutely disgusting the way that men gamble with other people's money and cheat and lie and--and--oh, it's a perfectly rotten world and I'm tired of it!" "Where is Mrs. Leeds?" he asked in a low voice. "At Witch-Hollow--in town for this afternoon to see her stupid lawyers. They don't do anything. They say they can't just yet. They're lazy or--something worse. That's my opinion. We go out on the five-three train--Strelsa and I----" "Is she--much affected?" "No; and that's the silly part of it. It would simply wreck me. But she hasn't wept a single tear.... I suppose she'll have to marry, now--" Mrs. Wycherly glanced askance at Quarren, but his face remained gravely expressionless. "Ricky dear?" "Yes." "I had a frightful row, on your account, with Mrs. Sprowl." "I'm sorry. Why?" "I told her I was going to ask you and Strelsa to Witch-Hollow." Quarren said calmly: "Don't do it then, Molly. There's no use of your getting in wrong with Mrs. Sprowl." Mrs. Wycherly laughed: "Oh, I found a way around. I asked Mrs. Sprowl and Sir Charles at the same time."