Page:Angna Enters - Among the Daughters.djvu/474

 But Vermillion was walking so fast she couldn't catch up and she slipped and fell.

"You all right, miss?" asked the big policeman.

"I'm just fine, but I haven't been very well. Could you walk with me as far as a taxi?"

The next day she took a sleeping pill as soon as Hugh went to work and slept all day, awakening refreshed. She asked Lily to have Hugh's favorite dish, thick mutton chops broiled with mushrooms and little sausages, for dinner, and was over an hour making herself attractive for him. A good sleep, she thought, was all she had needed, and when he came home she met him gaily and gave him a resounding smack on his cold cheek.

"I hear you've been out," he said, too casually, as she lit his favorite English cigarette for him.

"I have not," she denied indignantly, "ask Lily. I've been in all day."

"I'm not speaking of today," he said icily. "I ran into Jeffers and he said he saw you hot-footing it somewhere yesterday."

"I was tired of reading and I went for a walk in the Park for fresh air. I've been cooped up a whole week."

"That's as good a phony alibi as any," he said, sneering. "He also told me you were very pal-sy with the Lorna Smith set. Perhaps I'm not up to your price, and you need a little extra cash. Tell me, how much do you charge an hour?"

She looked at him unbelievingly, turned and went into the bedroom.

"Don't think you can get away with that stuff with me," he said, following and, slapping her hard, knocked her down.

He would not believe she meant to leave when she put on her hat and coat. "Some chap I know?" he jeered. But at the door he barred the way.

"I'll scream, and the police will come, and think of your county reputation at the steamship company," she taunted.

He tried to kiss her but, kicking his shins, she managed to open the door and stumble down the steps of the high brown stoop. She ran to the corner where, out of breath, she faltered. Where could she go. Not to Vida. She couldn't face her now. Who else was there? Figente. He'd laugh. Who else? Nobody. She walked and walked and every man looked like Hugh and each time she began to run. 462