orgive me," Dundee begged, as he interrupted her again. "I'd like to
ask a question ... Mrs. Dunlap, since you were at the other table,
perhaps you will tell me what your partner and opponents were doing just
before Mrs. Selim became dummy."

Lois Dunlap pressed her fingertips into her temples, as if in an effort
to remember clearly.

"It's--rather hard to think of bridge now, Mr. Dundee," she said at
last. "But--yes, of course I remember! We had finished a rubber and had
decided there would be no time for another, since it was so near 5:30--"

"That last rubber, please, Mrs. Dunlap," Dundee suggested. "Who were
partners, and just when was it finished?"

"Flora--" Lois turned toward Mrs. Miles, who had sat with her hands
tightly locked and her great haggard dark eyes roving tensely from one
to another--"you and I were partners, weren't we?... Of course! Remember
you were dummy and I played the hand? You went out to telephone, didn't
you?... That's right! I remember clearly now! Flora said she had to
telephone the house to ask how her two babies--six and four years old,
they are, Mr. Dundee, and the rosiest dumplings--. Well, anyway, Flora
went to telephone--"

"In the little foyer between the main hall and Mrs. Selim's room?"

"Yes, of course," Lois Dunlap answered, but Dundee's eyes were upon
Flora Miles, and he saw her naturally sallow face go yellow under its
too-thick rouge. "I played the hand and made my bid, although Flora and
I had gone down 400 on the hand before," Lois continued, with a rueful
twinkle of her pleasant grey eyes. "When the score was totted up, I
found I'd won a bit after all. Our winnings go to the Forsyte Alumnae
Scholarship Fund," she explained.

"Yes, I know," Dundee nodded. "And then--?"

"Polly asked the other table how they stood, and Nita said, 'One game to
go on this rubber, provided we make it....' Karen was dealing the cards
then, and Nita was looking very happy--she'd been winning pretty
steadily, I think--"

"Pardon, Mrs. Dunlap.... How did the players at your table dispose of
themselves then--that is, immediately after you had finished playing the
last hand, and Mrs. Marshall was dealing at the other table?"

Lois screwed up her forehead. "Let me think--I know what _I_ did. I went
over to watch the game at the other table, and stayed there till
Tracey--Mr. Miles--came in for cocktails. I can't tell you exactly what
the other three did."

There was a strained silence. Dun