There was a long silence during which Miss O'Brien tried to look
defiant, and succeeded only in shedding a few tears. Barbara had always
liked the girl, and now felt profoundly sorry for her. Liechtenstein,
too, seemed sorry and at a loss for words. The position was difficult.
The O'Brien's eavesdropping warranted her discharge, and nothing more.
She would go straight to Blizzard and disclose Lichtenstein's
whereabouts. But this in itself was merely an annoyance, as in the
meanwhile the secret service head could go elsewhere. There was nothing
for it but to discharge her and let her go. So Lichtenstein said
presently, and then wrote with a pencil on a card. This card he handed
to the maid.
"Give that to your employer," he said. On the card was written: "If
anything happens to me you will be indicted for the Kaparoff business,
and there is enough evidence in a safe place to make you pay the
penalty. Lichtenstein."
"And now, Miss Ferris," he said, "it will be as well to let this girl
first telephone to her master to say that I am here, and second to pack
her trunks and go."
Barbara smiled, but not unkindly, at Marion, and nodded her brightly
colored head. "I think that will be best, Marion."
The maid turned without a word and started for the hall-door, but was
brought to a trembling stop by sudden words from Bubbles.
"Miss Barbara," said he, "ask her where your diamond bow-knot went!"
"Oh," exclaimed Lichtenstein, "an excuse for keeping an eye on her,
perhaps. That was what we needed. How about this bow-knot, Marion?"
The guilt in the girl's face must have been obvious to the dullest eye.
"Oh," said Barbara, "is it good enough? She'd communicate with him
somehow. This isn't the Middle Ages. Marion, if by any chance any of my
things have gotten mixed with yours, please leave them on my
dressing-table."
Marion, very red in the face, lurched out of the room.
"I can't very well give her a character," said Barbara.
Lichtenstein laughed. "Plenty of worse girls," he said, "receive
excellent characters daily. And now I suppose I ought to put distance
between this house and myself."