Page:The Breath of Scandal (1922).djvu/165

 "Four or five thousand men working for Tri-Lake Products and their wives and children can stand a little more false happiness this year, I'll believe, if ask them."

"What are you talking about?"

"Father; and concealed sin; and false happiness. Mr. Stanway has been here this afternoon, Billy, to call on mother, his first call at our home, so he could tell her about Clearedge Street and have her start the scandal for him which would force father out and put him in father's place. Mr. Rinderfeld told me he was coming so I sent mother out this afternoon, and I saw him and spiked his gun by telling him that I knew all about it." She gasped at her memory and then, "I told him—that is, I as well as told him—that mother knew, too. That was false; a direct, black, low lie, Billy. It slandered mother. I could have bitten my tongue out for it after I said it. If she'd come in, I'd have told her everything. But then I got thinking again of Mr. Stanway in father's place—after he put Russell up to making that trouble; that's what he did, Mr. Rinderfeld thinks. Did I tell you that the other day?"

"No," said Billy. "What difference does it make?"

"Whether he put Russell up to it? Billy!"

"I meant, what Rinderfeld thinks. That man's absolutely depraved. I wish you'd never refer to anything he said."

"I think of what he said any number of times a day."

"Why?"

"Because he's told me so much that's true that I never heard before. Because he looks on people as