oy, on his return, had called
at the United Magazines Corporation and asked if Eugene was in the city.
Heretofore he had been reported in. When on this day he was reported as
having gone, Kinroy called up Angela to inquire. She also stated that he
had left the city. He then wired his mother and she, calculating the
time of his arrival, and hearing from the station agent of his taking
the carryall, had gone down to meet him. She had decided to fight every
inch of the way with all the strategy at her command. She did not want
to kill him--had not really the courage to do that--but she still hoped
to dissuade him. She had not been able to bring herself to resort to
guards and detectives as yet. He could not be as hard as he looked and
acted. Suzanne was bedeviling him by her support and communications. She
had not been able to govern there, she saw. Her only hope was to talk
him out of it, or into an additional delay. If necessary, they would all
go back to New York together and she would appeal to Colfax and
Winfield. She hoped they would persuade him to reason. Anyhow, she would
never leave Suzanne for one moment until this thing had been settled in
her favor, or brutally against her.

When Eugene appeared she greeted him with her old social smile and
called to him affably: "Come, get in."

He looked at her grimly and obeyed, but changed his manner when he saw
that she was really kindly in her tone and greeted her sociably.

"How have you been?" he asked.

"Oh, quite well, thank you!"

"And how is Suzanne?"

"All right, I fancy. She isn't here, you know."

"Where is she?" asked Eugene, his face a study in defeat.

"She went with some friends to visit Quebec for ten days. Then she is
going from there to New York. I don't expect to see her here any more."

Eugene choked with a sense of repugnance to her airy taradiddles. He did
not believe what she was saying--saw at once that she was fencing with
him.

"That's a lie," he said roughly, "and it's out of the whole cloth! She's
here, and you know it. Anyhow, I am going to see for myself."

"How polite you are!" she laughed diplomatically. "That isn't the way
you usually talk. Anyhow, she isn't here. You'll find that out, if you
insist. I wouldn't advise you to insist, for I've sent for counsel since
I heard you were coming, and you will find detectives as well as guards
waiting to receive you. She isn't here, though, even at that, and you
might just as well turn