er, you may be sure she'll play the game. But, Chris, I can't
stand the uncertainty. Mama's coming to have luncheon with me to-morrow,
and I'm going to ask her outright. And if this Norma is really--what we
fear, what do you think we ought to do?"

"Well, it's hard to say. It's all utterly damnable," Christopher said,
distressed. "And Annie, who let us all in for it, gets off scot free! I
wish, since she let it go so long, that your mother had forgotten it
entirely. But, as it is, this child isn't, strictly speaking,
illegitimate. There was a marriage, and some sort of divorce, whether
Mueller deceived Annie as to his being a bachelor or not!"

A maid stood in the doorway.

"Mrs. Melrose, Mrs. Liggett."

"Oh," Alice said, in an animated tone of pleasure, "ask her to come
upstairs!" But the eyes she turned to her husband were full of
apprehension. "Chris, here's Mama now! Shall we----? Would you dare?"

"Use your own judgment!" he had time to say hastily, before his wife's
mother came in.

CHAPTER VIII

Mrs. Melrose frequently came in to join Alice for dinner, especially
when she was aware, as to-night, that Christopher had an evening
engagement. She was almost always sure of finding Annie alone, and
enjoying the leisurely confidences that were crowded out of the daytime
hours.

She had had several weeks of nervous illness now, but looked better
to-night, looked indeed her handsome and comfortable self, as she
received Chris's filial kiss on her forehead, and bent to embrace her
daughter. Freda carried away her long fur-trimmed cloak, and she pushed
her veil up to her forehead, and looked with affectionate concern from
husband to wife.

"Now, Chris, I'm spoiling things! But I thought Carry Pope told me that
you were going to her dinner before the opera!"

"I'm due there at eight," he said, reassuringly. "And by the same token,
I ought to be dressing! But Alice and I have been loafing along here
comfortably, and I'd give about seven dollars to stay at home with my
wife!"

"He always says that!" Alice said, smilingly. "But he always has a nice
time; and then the next night he plays over the whole score, and tells
me who was there, and so I have it, too!"

Chris had walked to the white mantelpiece, and was lighting a
cigarette.

"Alice had that little protegee of yours here, to-day, Aunt Marianna,"
he said, casually.

There was no mistaking the look of miserable and fearful interest that
deepened