"
It was a bit of luck that Mrs. Porter happened to be away for the
moment. It gave her time for reflection. It was another bit of luck
that, as she had learned from Keggs, whom she met on the stairs on her
way to the nursery, a mysterious telephone-call had caused Ruth to rise
from her bed some three hours before her usual time and depart
hurriedly in a cab. This also helped.
Keggs had no information to give as to Ruth's destination or the
probable hour of her return. She had vanished without a word, except
a request to Keggs to tell the driver of her taxi to go to the
Thirty-Third Street subway.
"Must 'a' 'ad bad noos," Keggs thought, "because she were look'n' white
as a sheet."
Mamie was sorry that Ruth had had bad news, but her departure certainly
helped to relieve the pressure of an appalling situation.
With the absence of Ruth and Mrs. Porter the bits of luck came to an
end. Try as she would, Mamie could discover no other silver linings in
the cloud-bank. And even these ameliorations of the disaster were only
temporary.
Ruth would return. Worse, Mrs. Porter would return. Like two Mother
Hubbards, they would go to the cupboard, and the cupboard would be
bare. And to her, Mamie, would fall the task of explanation.
The only explanation that occurred to her was that Steve had gone
suddenly mad.
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