«Look, Sheridan… your brother was jealous before. But he’s gotten over that, I imagine. He wants her back just as much as you do. Now… did you ever think whether you’d be jealous of your brother— eventually? It’s not easy to share the woman you love with some one else, even your own brother. You know that, don’t you?»
Sheridan showed no hesitation in responding to this.
«I’ve thought all that out, Mr. Miller. I know I wouldn’t be the jealous one. And I’m not worried about my brother either. We understand each other. It’s Ella. I wonder sometimes if she really knows her own mind. The three of us grew up together, you see. That’s why we were able to live together so peacefully…. until…. well, that was only natural, wasn’t it? But if I go back now, and we share her openly, she might begin to care for us differently. This thing has broken up the happy family. And soon people will begin to notice things. It’s a small world back there, and our people don’t do those things. I don’t know what would happen after a time…»
He paused again and fiddled with his glass.
«There’s another thing I thought of, Mr. Miller… Supposing she has a child. We may never know which of us was the father of it. Oh, I’ve thought it out from every angle. It’s not easy to decide.»
«No,» I agreed, «it isn’t. I’m stumped, Sheridan. I’ll have to think about it.»
«Thanks, Mr. Miller. I know you’ll help me, if you can. I think I ought to run along now. Spivak will be looking for me. Good-bye, Mr. Miller,» and he darted off.
When I got back to the office I was informed that Clancy had telephoned. He had asked for the application of a messenger I had hired recently—a woman.
«What’s up?» I inquired. «What did she do?»
Nobody could offer any precise information.
«Well, where was she working?»
I found that we had sent her to one of the mid-town office buildings. Her name was Nina Andrews. Hymie had made a note of all the details. He had already telephoned the manager of the office where the girl worked, but couldn’t glean a thing. The manager, a young woman herself, was of the impression that the girl was satisfactory in every way.
I decided I had better call Clancy and get it over with. His voice was gruff and irritable. Mr. Twilliger had evidently raked him over the coals. And now it was my turn.
«But what has she done?» I asked in all innocence.
«What has she done?» Clancy’s voice echoed furiously. «Mr. Miller, haven’t I warned you time and again that we want only refined young women on our messenger force?»
«Yes sir,» I had to say, cursing him under my breath for the dumb cluck he was .
«Mr. Miller,» and his voice took on a devastating solemnity, «the woman who calls herself Nina Andrews is nothing but a common prostitute. She was reported to us by one of our important clients. He told Mr. Twilliger that she tried to solicit him. Mr. Twilliger is going to make an investigation. He suspects that we may have other undesirable females on our staff. I needn’t tell you, Mr. Miller, that this is a very serious matter. A very serious matter. I trust that you will know how to cope with the situation. You will give me a report in a day or two—is that clear?» He hung up.
I sat there trying to recall the young woman in question.
«Where is she now?» I asked.
«She was sent home,» said Hymie.
«Send her a telegram,» I said, «and ask her to give me a ring. I want to talk to her.»
I waited around until seven o’clock hoping she would telephone. O’Rourke had just come in. I had an idea. Maybe I would ask O’Rourke…
The telephone rang. It was Nina Andrews. She had a very pleasant voice, one that aroused my sympathies immediately.
«I’m sorry I couldn’t call you sooner,» she said. «I was out all afternoon.»
«Miss Andrews,» I said, «I wonder if you’d do me a favor. I’d like to drop up to your place for a few minutes and have a little chat with you.»
«Oh, I don’t want the job back,» she said in a cheery tone. «I’ve found another one already—a much better one. It was kind of you to…»
«Miss Andrews,» I insisted, «I would like to see you just the same—just for a few minutes. Would you mind?»
«No, no, not at all. Why come up, of course. I merely wanted to spare you the trouble…»
«Well thank you… I’ll be there in a few minutes.»
I went over to O’Rourke and explained the case to him in a few brief words. «Maybe you’d like to come along,» I said. «You know, I don’t believe that girl is a whore. I’m beginning to remember her now. I think I know…»
We hopped into a cab and drove uptown to Seventy-Second street where she lived. It was a typical old-fashioned rooming house. She lived on the fourth floor back.
She was a little startled to see O’Rourke with me. But not frightened—a point in her favor I thought to myself.
«I didn’t know you would bring a friend,» she said, looking at me with frank blue eyes. «You’ll have to excuse the appearance of the place.»
«Don’t worry about that, Miss Andrews.» It was O’Rourke who spoke. «Nina is the name, isn’t it?»
«Yes,» she said. «Why?»
«It’s a pretty name,» he said. «One doesn’t hear it much any more. You’re not of Spanish descent by any chance, are you?»
«Oh no, not Spanish,» she said, very bright and quick, and in an altogether disarming tone. «My mother was Danish, and my father is English. Why, do I look Spanish?»
O’Rourke smiled. «To be honest, Miss Andrews… Miss Nina… may I call you that?… no, you don’t look at all Spanish. But Nina is a Spanish name, isn’t it?»
«Won’t you sit down?» she said, adjusting the pillows on the divan. And then, in a perfectly natural tone of voice: «I suppose you heard that I was fired? Just like that! Not a word of explanation. But they gave me two weeks’ pay—and I’ve just landed a better job. So it isn’t so terrible, is it?»
I was glad now that I had brought O’Rourke along. If I had come alone I would have left without more ado. I was absolutely convinced, at this point, that the girl was innocent.
The girl. She had given her age as 25 on the application blank, but it was obvious that she wasn’t a day over nineteen. She looked like a girl who had been brought up in the country. A bewitching little creature, and very alert.
O’Rourke had evidently been making a similar appraisal. When he lifted his voice it was apparent that he was thinking only how to spare her unnecessary unpleasantness.
«Miss Nina,» he said, speaking like a father, «Mr. Miller asked me to come along. I’m the night inspector, you know. There’s been some misunderstanding with one of our clients, one of the clients served by your office. Perhaps you will recall the name—The Brooks Insurance Agency. Do you remember that name, Miss Nina? Think, because maybe you can help us.»
«Of course I know the name,» she responded with alacrity. «Room 715, Mr. Harcourt. Yes, I know him very well. I know his son too.»
O’Rourke immediately pricked up his ears.
«You know his son?» he repeated.
«Why yes. We were sweethearts. We come from the same town.» She mentioned a little town up State. «You could hardly call it a town, I guess.» She gave a bright little laugh.
«I see,» said O’Rourke, lingering over his words to draw her on.
«Now I understand why I was fired,» she said. «He doesn’t think I’m good enough for his son, this Mr. Harcourt. But I didn’t think he hated me that much.»
As she rattled on I recalled more and more clearly the circumstances of her first visit to the employment bureau. One detail stood out clearly. She had specifically requested, when filling out the application blank, that she be sent to a certain office building. It was not an unusual request; applicants often gave their preference for certain localities for one reason or another. But I remembered now the smile she had given me when thanking me for the courtesy I had shown her.
«Miss Andrews,?» I said, «didn’t you ask me to send you to the Heckscher Building when you applied for the job?»
«Of course I did,» she replied. «I wanted to be near John. I knew his father was trying to keep us apart. That’s why I left home.»: http://home./
«Mr. Harcourt tried to ridicule me at first,» she added. «I mean when I first delivered telegrams to his office. But I didn’t care. Neither did John.»
«Well,» said O’Rourke, «so you don’t mind too much losing your job? Because, if you’d like to have it back, I think Mr. Miller could arrange if for you.» He glanced in my direction.
«Oh, I don’t really want it back,» she said breathlessly. «I’ve found a much better job—and it’s in the same building!»
The three of us burst out laughing. O’Rourke and I rose to go. «You’re a musician, aren’t you?» asked O’Rourke.
She blushed. «Why yes… why, how did you know? I’m a violinist. That’s another reason, of course, why I decided to come to New York. I hope to give a recital here some day—perhaps in Town Hall. It’s thrilling to be in a big city like this, isn’t it?» She giggled
