rn that
Mrs. Dale was out of the city and was not expected back soon. Friday
came, and no word; and Saturday. He tried a registered letter "for
personal delivery only, return signature demanded" but it came back
marked "not there." Then he realized that his suspicions were correct
and that Suzanne had fallen into a trap. He grew gloomy, fearful,
impatient and nervous by turn, and all at the same time. He drummed on
his desk at the office, tried almost in vain to fix his mind on the
scores of details which were ever before him, wandered aimlessly about
the streets at times, thinking. He was asked for his opinion on art
plans, and books, and advertising and circulation propositions, but he
could not fix his mind closely on what was being said.

"The chief has certainly got something on his mind which is troubling
him these days," said Carter Hayes, the advertising man, to the
circulation head. "He's not himself. I don't believe he hears what I'm
telling him."

"I've noticed that," replied the latter. They were in the reception room
outside Eugene's door, and strolled arm in arm down the richly carpeted
hall to the elevator. "There's certainly something wrong. He ought to
take a rest. He's trying to do too much."

Hayes did not believe Eugene was trying to do too much. In the last four
or five months it had been almost impossible to get near him. He came
down at ten or ten-thirty in the morning, left frequently at two and
three, had lunch engagements which had nothing to do with office work,
and at night went into the social world to dinner or elsewhere, where he
could not be found. Colfax had sent for him on a number of occasions
when he was not present, and on several other occasions, when he had
called on his floor and at his office, Eugene was out. It did not strike
him as anything to complain of--Eugene had a right to be about--but as
inadvisable, in the managing publisher's own interest. He knew that he
had a vast number of things to take care of. It would take an
exceptionally efficient man to manage them and not give all his time to
them. He would not have thought this if Eugene had been a partner with
himself, as were other men in other ventures in which he was interested,
but not being so, he could not help viewing him as an employee, one who
ought to give all his time to his work.

White never asked anything much save the privilege of working, and was
always about the place, alert, earnest at his particular