Show 1 IT THERES ONLY ONE C 0 Sophie Kerr Underwood By Y S SOP P HIE H E K KIp ERR Ip R R Service PTER CHAPTER X d 13 Was Mrs Cayne at home Yes sir she was I recall that because Mr Holbrook asked me was she in her room and I told him yes Mr Cayne gave Rachel a cant look There you see U if EU- EU Eli nor was In her room the boy boys couldn't have got at the safe but maybe she wasn't there all the time he said laId after atter he had dis- dis dismissed dismissed missed Towers Ill call caU up Mr Terriss right away sold said Rachel Ile could have the Buckham boy hoy Investigated ed I know what sort he Is lies lie's one of these half baked artists and lives In Greenwich Village I dont don't doubt hed he'd take anything he could get But he couldn't get at the safe with Mrs Cayne In her room Ra- Ra Rachel Rachel chel reminded hIm As soon as she comes In you can find out about tha that t lie gave cave her a stern stem stubborn look Mrs Caynes Cayne's not to be both both- bothered ered Dont you Intend to tell her that her bracelets bracelet been stolen ex- ex exclaimed exclaimed claimed Rachel No It would only make her nervous and excited She might even get sick She dId get sIck when the first thIngs were taken and I had to quit telling her about it it I was afraid of the effect it might have on her general health Really stammered Rachel I I wouldn't have thought to You see Miss Vincent my wile wife my wIle wife is very unhappy just now She's always been beautiful you youcan youcan can see that and very young look She's as tickled as can be when people take her for Holbrook Holbrooks s 's sister and they do sometimes But age comes rIght along no matter what a woman does docs and she's be- be beginning beginning ginning to see gray In her hall hair and lines Jines under her chin and well It-well it worries her out of all proportion She takes up all these beauty fads why she works at It harder than most mOlt men work for a living and It disturbs her mind so that she's ble to take a wrong slant on any any- anything anything thing Look at all the mirrors In her room I And youve you've been here long enough to see that the first thing she does whenever she comes in fn the house Is pick up her hand hand- glass class and give her face a good hard inspection And theres there's nothing nothing I can do to help her There was such grief such pity and such tenderness in his voice that Rachel did not know how to answer him In a moment he went wenton wenton on It If women could only under under- understand understand stand that beautys beauty's only a loan and never n a gilt gift It they'd only believe that it ft doesn't matter to a mans man's affection no nor to how the world values them Ive I've thought a lot about all this I can tell you I can see you have said Ra- Ra Rachel chel humbly The e poor old dear she thought The he really is sweet Aloud she suggested nut But Mr Cayne you ou can find out about the two whether boys Mrs Cayne saw them I mean Yes I suppose so Look here Miss you Vincent dont don't think Its It's the servants do you I somehow cant can't stomach them they've been with me so long and they've always come through no matter what I wanted No I dont don't think Its It's the sere servants ants Mr Cayne That Terriss hes he's always always harp harp- harpIng lag Ing on them But now this Buck Buck- Buckham Buckham ham boy I shouldn't wonder a bit if wed we'd got the right track at last lies lie's hung around more or less for Quite a while Then Then saId Rachel Ill ten tell Mr Terriss to look up the Buckham boy And Ill I'll go out and telephone right away if I use the phone here Mrs Cayne might come in Mr Coyne Cayne stopped her for a last word ord You can understand now why I dont don't take Holbrook and put hIm in the kind of school he ought to go to Its It's because It would wor wor- worry ry Mrs Cayne so she has a lot of pleasure going around with him and he knows how to divert her mind talks to her about how good looking she Is and praises her clothes lies lie's devoted to his mother Holbrook If I could only get that art bug out of his head hes a pretty good boy except for that Rachel stopped at the kitchen Ive got to do any errand for Mr Cayne for sake give me that curry said uld Lena Curry takes time to cook that's what spoils it generally What's up In there Tell you when I get back promised Rachel The public phone that Rachel used Ud was 81 in a 8 drugstore hallway halfway the block It seemed to take an age Dge to get there another age to get tet the connection but at last she heard Terriss dry voice I thought It was about time some some- something thins thing else went he said when Ra Ra- Ra Rachel chel had bad told him about the brace brace- bracelet let you got any lead at ataU sll aU his lIIs tone tole implied that he mere mere- merely merely ly asked the question as a matter of form She told him about Roy Buck Buck- ham and then But theres there's some some- something something thing more What more Mr 1011 Terriss maybe Im I'm crazy maybe I oughtn't even to think of thIs but Holbrook tried to borrow money from me a few days ago and Lena tells teUs me hes he's borrowed money from both her and Towers until they wouldn't lend him anything more The answer that came back was wasso wasso so amazing she could scarcely be lIeve her ears Well at last Id I'd been waiting and wonderIng to see U if you'd never catch on Ive I've been dead certain it was the boy all along Now were we're going places Come on give me the whole story how much did you slip him I didn't give him anything i Quickly she described the whole In- In Incident incident ending with Why didn't you let me know you suspected the son Id I'd have watched him lots more closely On account of Mr Caynes Cayne's atti- atti tude-If tude Id I'd told you ou to keep an eye on the kid and you'd spilled it to the theold theold old man then you and I both would P fI 4 r ud rr rrt f r rt ra t t a f Its What You Hired fired Out for My Dear Girl have been in a spot Dont Don't tell me you haven't seen how unreasonable Cayne Is about his family Yes Ive seen Mr Terriss what am I to do I cant can't tell him that It might bo be Holbrook I cant can't do it it Jeez nol no Dont Don't you peep one word nor ba bat t on an eye unless you ou catch the kid with the goods and even then dont don't you do It You call me up and Ill I'll get rIght over there and well we'll see the old man to- to together together gether Youve You've got to have the evi evi- evi evidence deuce dence evidence he cant can't go back of or hell he'll never believe it it But what short of evidence what do you mean Three minutes are up deposit an an- an another other nickel please warned the operator The kid most likely is hocking that stuff with some crooked pawn pawn- pawnbroker pawnbroker broker Ive I've watched the police reports re- re reports ports on all pawnbrokers pa and noth- noth nothing's nothing's ings ing's been turned In in so that proves that whoever's got It is crooked one of the kind who breaks up jew jew- jewelry jewelry elry melts the metal and sells the stones see Or else maybe the kid has stolen the stun stuff to give to a girl but the operator Ive I've had on him says saya no Youve been having Holbrook followed Of course I have ever sInce the thelast thelast last piece of jewelry was taken I mean the spoons just you went Into the house there Mr Cayne dont don't know about it though Rachel was thinking hard Mr Terriss It If Holbrook did It couldn't you you-couldn't you talk to the boy boy- and warn him and get him to stop It it And not let Mr and Mrs Cayne know They're so-so so fond of him hes he's the only child chUd- No Miss Vincent Vincent that that's bad dope I cant can't say anything about the mother because the old man keeps her bel wrapped In cotton wool but his have to know it U Its It's up to him then to take the boy In hand see And he can tell his wife or not But II If the boys boy's the thief thid as Ive I've thought all along bet bet- better tel ter his old man should learn It now before the boy starts lilting lifting some some- somebody somebody body cues else's stuff But the boy Loy may not be the thief Dont give me an argument just search his room like you ou were hunt hunt- hunting lag ing for chInches Miss Vincent and andreport andreport report to me soon's youve you've fin fin fin- finished Rachel rushed back to the apart apart- apartment ment her head whirling Mrs Cayne had come In and was wait wait- waitIng log Ing impatiently so there was no chance to speak to Mr Cayne but Rachel took time to write on a apiece apiece piece of paper Have notified Ter- Ter riu and slipped it under his door as 81 she ran nn to answer the impera- impera imperative live tive bell Im sorry madame she ex ex- ex cured herself hersell I had a stain on my uniform and was changing She thought grimly Ill never believe a servant senant again on oath after hear hear- hearing hearing ing myself tell such slick lies as she addressed herself herselt to the ritual rHual of getting Mrs Cayne ready for din din- dinner din ner This minor drama did not proceed well well Mrs Cayne was new nerv- nervous newous ous and jerky and waspish and Ra- Ra Rachel Rachel chel was absorbed In her bel own thoughts She Sho managed to run tho bath and perfume it and to layout lay out the lingerie and slippers without mistake but at the dress closet she stopped she could not remember which of the 30 or more gowns had been chosen Rachel looked at the slippers they were dark blue satin strapped with gold kid Probably that dark blue thought Rachel and arranged it carefully on the bed Elinor Cayne came in warm rosy perfumed pulling about her one of the loose robes of wash vel vel- velvet vet she used as bathrobe She flung It down and Rachel advanced with gIrdle and slip then dropped on one knee to slip the thinnest of stockings over the brightest of red red- enameled toes Over Rachels Rachel's head Ellnor Elinor noticed the dress and the storm broke I never saw a girl so inattentive and stupid In my life I tell you over and over again you simply dont don't lIsten lIsten- Rachel looked up and lightning flashed between the two women For Fora a moment Rachel thought her moth moth- mother er was going to slap her across neross the face and she made an Involuntary tary movement to catch and hold that slender little hand then re- re remembered remembered and drew back But it was her expressIon that stopped El- El ElInor El Inor hor They stared at each other there was revelation held immo- immo immobile immobile bile for a long shocking instant What is the matter asked Ra- Ra Rachel Rachel chel chel at last last rIsing That dress isn't the one one-I told you the blue and gold brocade wIth the velvet flowers Im sorry madame said Ra- Ra Rachel Rachel chel She picked up the and hung It In the closet laid out the brocade In Its place Still under the spell of that venomous gesture gesture ture which had been so near she turned and went out of the room Dazedly she went back to her own room closed the door and sat down downin ln in the darkness She was going to strike me she thought over and andover andover over she was going to strike me She's my mother My own mother It required all her will to reenter enter that room and to her relief Elinor was concentrated on her make up and took no notice of her The ThC si- si silence hence lence was ominous but Rachel pre pre- preferred preferred it Rachel put the bath bath- bathroom room in fn order and returned to lift the brocade and hold it while Eli Eli- Elinor Elinor nor stepped Into it The two women avoided looking at one another but at t the last moment powdered and tinted and resplendent In the rich gown Elinor flashed a resent resent- resentful ful glance at Rachel and said Im going to speak to Mr Cayne about this and went out so quickly that Rachel could have smiled afraid of me she thought she feels something different And she Isn't allowed any freedom with the servants I suppose she granted with unwilling justice enough to make any woman peevIsh Ish I oughtn't to blame her too much Mr Caynes Cayne's sweet but hes he's an old tyrant too Oh dear I wish they would be definitely one thing or another all these shades and varieties ore too hard to deal with She had a moment of revolt Im getting old too fast I shouldn't be beso beso so reasonable about these people Im I'm as tolerant as Anne its it's not like me And th then n thankfully so- so soberly soberly berly It If I only could be like Anne Annel It If I needn't be a bit like this this-this mother I wanted so much More soberly still still I must stop wallow wallow- wallowIng wallowing Ing in these hysterical Ideas and make up my mind what I ought to todo todo do This was not easy she found her her- herself herself self pulled In too many directions To follow Terriss Terris and search Holbrooks Holbrook's room and then it If the boy was guilty to reveal it- it she didn't want to do it it she had too profound a conviction that Hol- Hol Holbrook brook was guilty guilly When his father knew how it would beat down his prIde and Yet perhaps Terriss was rIght to know it now might save knowing worse later But she didn't want to stick her un- un unpracticed un practiced hand Into human live lives with a chance of marring them It was too much responsibility Better Bet Bet- Better ter perhaps to walk out of the house and never come back back she could take a boat and go to Anne she could cut the whole tangled mis- mis miserable miserable erable business away from herself Yet that would be shirking too And then the thought of Curt Elton came to her there was the one per per- person son who might be told and who would understand and advIse To- To Tomorrow Tomorrow morrow was Thursday her day out She would tell Terriss she had had no opportunity to search Holbrooks Holbrook's room until after she had talked to Curt CHAPTER XI They lingered over dinner together er In the quiet restaurant where they had lunched the first time and he had brought Rachel a quaint round bouquet of red and yellow carnations set in circles spicy sweet I couldn't afford orchids and anyway these look like you he had said I like these better than orchids Rachel replied fascinatIng Ing She laid the flowers at the side of her plate and now and then as all flowers do they drew her eyes and attention They helped to normal normal- normalIze Ize her strained and acId thoughts Curts Curt's presence helped much more Once more she told aU all except the essential fact of her relationship to Elinor He sided with TerrIss But Curt she objected I have this awful hunch that its it's Hol- Hol Holbrook brook and it If I find it out his father has to be told It wIll be horrible Mr suffer so Youre too sensitive and your imaginations imagination's running wild Look at It from the other end If you youcan ou can prove Holbrook didn't do it ft then youve you've freed Mr Cayne for for- forever forever ever from the danger of having a criminal child What you tell me about the boy sounds as if he was spoiled and silly and effemInate but he doesn't sound exactly like a crook All rIght all right maybe not but what does he do with his allow allow- allowance ance Lena says he gets at least leasta a hundred and fifty a month somethIng for Terriss to dIscover I must say I dont don't like hIs tryIng to get money out of you but there again hes he's spoiled and he may have wanted to buy something his father wouldn't approve of or throw a party unbeknownst to his family Boys at that age often do things like that they want to appear grand and lavish to their friends What sort are his friends They look like any other boys to tome tome me weedy and pImply and know know-it aU all not terribly common but I wouldn't say any ot of them would ever be Intellectual giants Curt I au a u g h e d unreservedly Nothing sinister In that picture Dont Don't you think youre you're overplaying your imagination about |