Out of the Ashes | Page 8

jewel cases. Pressing a secret spring, a second door
jarred open in the left inner wall. From this receptacle she withdrew
several packets of letters and a set of plates with their accompanying
prints. Over them all she slipped a heavy rubber band, laid them aside
and closed the hiding place with methodical care. The compromising
documents disappeared within the warm hollow of her muff, and with a
last glance around, Mrs. Marteen unlocked the door and descended to
the street, where her walnut-brown limousine awaited her. Her face,
which had been vivid with emotion, took on its accustomed mask of
cold perfection, and when she was ushered into the anxiously awaiting
presence of Marcus Gard, she was the same perfectly poised machine,
wound up to execute a certain series of acts, that she had been on the
occasion of her former visit. Of their friendly acquaintance of the last
ten days there was no trace. They were two men of business met to
consult upon a matter of money. The host was thoroughly disappointed.
For ten days he had lost no opportunity of following up both Dorothy
and her mother. Dorothy had responded with frank-hearted liking; Mrs.
Marteen had suffered herself to be interested.
"How's my débutante?" he asked cordially, as Mrs. Marteen entered.
"She's very well, thank you," the marble personage replied. "I came in
answer to your note."

"Rather late," he complained. "I've been waiting for you anxiously,
most anxiously--but now you're here, I'm ready to forgive. Do you
know, this is the first opportunity I have had, since you honored me
before, of having one word in private with you?"
She ignored his remark. "I have brought the correspondence of which I
spoke."
"I never doubted it, my dear lady. But before we proceed to conclude
this little deal I want to ask you a question or two. Surely you will not
let me languish of curiosity. I want to know--tell me--how did you ever
hit upon this plan of yours?"
She unbent from her rigid attitude and answered, almost as if the words
were drawn from her against her will: "After Martin, my husband
died--I--I found myself poor, quite to my astonishment, and with
Dorothy to support. Among his effects--" She paused and turned scarlet;
she was angry at herself for answering, angry at him for daring to
question her thus intimately.
"You found--" prompted Gard.
"Well--" she hesitated, and then continued boldly--"some letters
from--never mind whom. They showed me that my husband had been
most cruelly robbed and mistreated; men had traded upon his honor,
and had ruined him. Then and there I saw my way. This man--these
men--had political aspirations. Their plans were maturing. I waited.
Then I 'wondered if they would care to have the matter in their
opponents' hands.' The swindle would be good newspaper matter. They
replied that they would 'mind very much.' I succeeded in getting back
something of what Martin had been cheated out of--"
He beamed approval. "And mighty clever and plucky of you. And
then?"
This time the delayed explosion of her anger came. "How dare you
question me? How dare you pry into my life?"

"You dared to pry into mine, remember," he snapped.
"For a definite and established purpose," she retorted; "and let us
proceed, if you will."
Gard shifted his bulk and grasped the arms of his chair.
"As you please. You deposited with me the sum of twenty-five
thousand dollars. I personally took charge of that account, and invested
it for you. The steps of these transactions I will ask you to follow."
"Is it necessary?"
"It is. Also that now you set before me the--autographs, together with
their reproductions of every kind, on this table, and permit me to verify
the collection by the list supplied by my lawyers."
She frowned, and taking the packet from its resting place, unslipped the
band and spread out its contents.
"They are all there," she said slowly, and there was hurt pride in her
voice.
Without stopping to consult either the memoranda or the letters, he
swept the whole together, and, striding to the fireplace, consigned them
to the flames.
"The plates!" she gasped, rising and following him. "They must be
destroyed completely."
He smiled at her grimly. "I'll take care of that. And now, if you will
come to the table, I will explain your account with my firm. I bought
L.U. & Y. for you at the opening, the day following our compact,
feeling sure we would get at least a five-point rise, and that would be
earning a bit of interest until I could put you in on a good move. I had
private information the following day in Forward Express stock. I sold
for you, and bought F.E. If you have followed