their veins, in a
case like that! However, I learned enough while I was in that office,
of his manipulations of the street railway stock, to make me glad I've
got a profession and am not sitting around waiting for dividends to be
paid. If the people ever wake up, and the District Attorney indicts
him, I hope to goodness they put me on the stand, that's all."

"Why has he tried to get rid of you? Do you think he suspected the
motive for your being in his employ?" asked Blaine, when she paused
for breath.

"No, he couldn't, for I never gave him a chance," she responded. "He's
a sly one, too, padding around the offices like a cat, in his soft
slippers; and he looks for all the world like a cat, with the sleek
white whiskers of him! Excuse me, Miss Lawton, I don't mean to be
disrespectful, but he's trying, the old gentleman is! I think he got
suspicious of me when Margaret Hefferman made such a botch of her job
with Mr. Rockamore, and yesterday afternoon when Mr. Carlis caught
Agnes Olson listening in--oh, I know all about that, too!--he got
desperate. That's why he mixed up the files this morning, for an
excuse to discharge me."

"How did you know about Agnes Olson?" asked Blaine quickly. "Did she
tell you?"

"No, I heard it from Mr. Carlis himself!" returned Loretta, with a
reminiscent grin. "He came right straight around to Mr. Mallowe and
told him all about it, and a towering rage he was in, too! 'Do you
think the little devil's sold us?' he asked. Meaning no disrespect to
you, Miss Lawton, it was you he was talking about, for he added: 'She
gets her girls into our offices on a whining plea of charity, and they
all turn out crooked, spying and listening in, and taking notes.
Remember Rockamore's experience with the one he took? Do you suppose
that innocent, big-eyed, mealy-mouthed brat of Pennington Lawton's
suspects us?'

"'Hold your tongue, for God's sake!' old Mr. Mallowe growled at him.
'I've got one of them in there, a filing clerk.'"

"'Then you'd better get rid of her before she tries any tricks,'
Mr. Carlis said. 'I believe that girl is deeper than she looks, for
all her trusting way. I always did think she took the news of her
father's bankruptcy too d--n' calmly to be natural, even under the
circumstances. Kick her protegee out, Mallowe, unless you're
looking for more trouble. I'm not.'"

"What did Mr. Mallowe reply?" Blaine asked.

"I don't know. His private secretary came into the office where I w