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It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Mrs. Franklyn-Haldene to mind her own business. There was something primitive in Patty. Her second thoughts were due to cultivation, and not from any inherent caution. Mrs. Haldene smiled and went on. It was a wonderful smile; it never changed; it served for all emotions, anger, hate, love, envy and malice. Mrs. Haldene never flew into passions or ecstasies.
In the meantime Haldene faced his wife. "I am going down town presently," he said. "I shall send you up by messenger several cabin-plans." "Cabin-plans?" amazed at this odd turn in affairs. "Yes. You will spend the winter either in Egypt or Italy, as it pleases you." "Europe? But my social obligations demand my presence here!" she expostulated. "You will cancel them. You will go to Europe.
Naturally Katherine assumed the defensive whenever she met the common enemy. But Mrs. Haldene could wait. She had waited before this. She had made certain prophecies, and it embittered her to learn that so far none of these prophecies had come true. She could wait. Something was destined to happen, sooner or later. She knew human nature too well not to be expectant. To Mrs.
"You wrote this letter to me, trusting it would make me miserable. It has. But I have not done what you expected, shown it. Who told you this base lie?" "I refuse to answer your impudent questions. Will you stand aside?" "There is a way to force you. I will know, Mrs. Haldene, I will know. If you refuse, I shall turn these two sheets over to my brother's lawyers."
Haldene held up his hand. "Well, Patty?" "Mrs. Haldene has taken the trouble to meddle with my affairs by writing me an anonymous letter concerning the conduct of my brother's wife and his friend. I have traced the letter to Mrs. Haldene, and she has confessed that she wrote it, also stating her reasons and the source of her information."
So Haldene went to the club, while his wife squared another sheet of writing-paper and began again. Half an hour went by before she completed her work with any degree of satisfaction. Even then she had some doubts. She then took a pair of shears and snipped the crest from the sheet and sealed it in a government envelope.
Later her mother found her dreaming in the window-seat. "Patty, Mrs. Haldene left her shopping-bag here yesterday afternoon. I had forgotten it. Would you mind taking it over to her, or shall I have the maid do it?" "I have nothing to do, mother. I can take it over just as well as not," said Patty listlessly.
Franklyn-Haldene's, she stepped toward the desk; then, in a flash, she seized one of the sheets of note-paper that lay scattered about. Mrs. Franklyn Haldene made a desperate effort to intercept Patty; but Patty was young, slender and agile. She ran quickly to the nearest window and compared the written sheet with the blank.
They toss them into the waste-basket ... and brood over them in silence. Now, Mrs. Franklyn-Haldene was always considering her duty; her duty to the church, to society, to charity, and, upon occasions, to her lord and master. "Bennington's men have gone out, the fools!" said Haldene from over the top of his paper. "Have they?" Mrs. Franklyn-Haldene nibbled the tip of her pen.
The family came up to the billiard-room. Warrington looked at Patty, whose cheeks were flushed and whose eyes flashed. "Why, what's the matter, Pat?" John asked. "Nothing." "Mrs. Haldene has been making herself useful as usual," said Mrs. Jack, slipping her arm around Patty's waist. Patty was in a rage about something; nobody seemed to know what it was.
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