Taylor seemed to take a keen interest in Amy Cartwright"s financial affairs.
"That"s quite an interesting question," he observed judiciously. "What did you do with your half?"
"I--I paid a lot of bills," the girl stammered.
"Paid a lot of bills!" her sister exclaimed. "But Amy, you distinctly told me--"
"One minute," Taylor interrupted. "Now, Miss Amy," he said sharply, "what sort of bills did you pay?"
"Oh, dressmakers and hats and things," she answered with a trace of sullenness.
"Of course they gave you receipts?" he suggested.
"I don"t remember," she answered.
"Oh, you don"t remember," he said, fixing her with his cold eye. "But you remember whom you paid the money to?"
"Of course she does," Ethel cried, coming to her sister"s aid. She was herself puzzled at this strange man"s att.i.tude. "You do, don"t you, Amy?"
"Why, yes," the other said weakly.
"Give me the names!" Taylor demanded, and then looked angrily up to see who had entered his office unbidden. It was James Duncan, apologetic, but urged by powers higher than those of his chief.
"The Collector and the Secretary want to see you right away, sir," he announced.
"I can"t leave now," Taylor cried angrily. And in that moment both girls realized of what ruthless metal he was cast. Gone was the amiable interest in family matters and the kindly wish to aid two girls in getting back their trinkets, and there was left a strong remorseless man who showed he had them very nearly in his power.
But Duncan dared not go back with such a message.
"I explained you were busy, Chief," he said, "but they would have you come down at once, as the Secretary has to go back to Washington. It"s about that necklace. The one coming in on the Mauretania this afternoon."
"Oh, very well," his superior snapped. "I shall have to ask you ladies to excuse me for five minutes."
"Certainly," Ethel Cartwright returned.
At the door Taylor beckoned to Duncan and spoke in a whisper. "Get outside in the corridor and if they try to leave, stop "em. And I shall want to know what they"ve been talking about. Understand?"
"Sure, Chief," Duncan returned.
When both men had gone from the room Amy clung half-hysterically to her strong, calm sister. "Oh, Ethel, they know, they know!"
"Know what?" Ethel asked, amazed at the change in the other.
"That man suspects," Amy whispered. "I know he does. Did you see how he glared at me and the way he spoke?"
"Suspects what?" Ethel asked. "Amy, what do you mean? What is there to suspect?"
"Don"t let them take me away!" the younger sister wailed. "Oh, don"t, don"t!"
Ethel drew back a step and looked into the trembling Amy"s tear-stained face.
"What is this you are saying?" she asked sharply.
"Ethel, your jewels weren"t stolen." There was a pause as if the girl were trying to gather courage enough to confess. "I took them. I p.a.w.ned them."
"Amy!" cried the other. "You?"
"I had to have money. I took them. A woman told me I could get it by pretending to the company the things were stolen. She said they"d never find it out and would pay. I tried it, and they paid."
Miss Cartwright looked down at her, amazed, indignant, horrified.
"Do you mean to say you deliberately swindled the company?"
"I couldn"t help it, Ethel," she declared piteously. "I didn"t think of it in that way. I didn"t mean to. I didn"t, indeed."
"Why, why, why? Why in G.o.d"s name did you do it? Tell me quickly, why?"
Amy could no longer meet her sister"s glance. She dropped her head.
"I lost a lot of money gambling, playing auction bridge."
"Playing with whom?" Ethel demanded sharply.
"People you don"t know," the younger answered evasively. "It was while you were away. It wouldn"t have happened if you"d been home. We all dined together at the Claremont and afterwards they simply would play auction. I said no at first but they made me. I got excited and began to lose, and then they said if I kept on the luck would turn, but it didn"t, and I lost a thousand dollars."
Ethel Cartwright needed no other explanation as a key to Taylor"s manner. It was certain that he knew and would presently force her poor frightened little sister into a confession. It was no time for blaming the child or pointing out morals, but for protecting her.
"Ssh," she whispered, "Ssh!"
"I didn"t mean to do it," Amy reiterated. "Believe me, I didn"t."
"Tell me what happened then?" Ethel asked in a low tone.
"I couldn"t pay, of course, and the other women said they"d have to ask mother or you for the money and if you wouldn"t pay I should have to go to jail. I didn"t know what to do. I nearly went out of my head, I think. At last Philip Sloane offered to lend it me."
The elder recoiled from her. "That man!" she cried horrified. "Oh, Amy, and how often I have warned you against him!"
"There was nothing else to do," her sister explained. "You were away and I had no one to go and ask."
"Stop a minute," Ethel said. "If you borrowed the money and paid the debts, why did you need to take my diamonds?"
Amy hung her head. "When he lent me the money he said I could pay it back whenever I wanted to, in a hundred years if I liked."
"Well?" Ethel cried anxiously. "Well?"
"But a day or so later he came to see me, mother was out, and his manner was so different I was frightened. He--he said a girl who accepts money from a man is never any good, and n.o.body will believe them no matter what they say. I didn"t think men could be like that. He said he"d forget about it if I went away with him. He said n.o.body would know it--he could arrange all that--and he threatened all sorts of things.
Oh, everything you said about him was right."
"Go on," her sister commanded, in a hard staccato tone. "What then?"