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dining chamber and watched the invisible furies that circled over the tasteless food. When the
meal was ended she thought that soon she would be going to bed. To bed. To sleep! Perchance to
dream.
"Send for the chauffeur," she said to Severance.
He came in. His uniform was reassuring. Her crystallizing purposes were more so. "How
far is it to Columbus, Ohio?"
"I'm not quite sure, ma'am."
"Could we get there before morning?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Get ready to go at once."
CHAPTER XI
When she walked up on the Jamison porch, breathless and hollow-eyed, she saw them
through the window. Valak had not yet acted. She was immediately grateful to some dim and
uncomprehended God and then, for a moment, incredulous of the actuality of her motives in
going to Mayville. Mr. Jamison puzzled over the familiarity of her face, recognized her across
twenty years, greeted her with polite alacrity, introduced Janet and thanked her immediately for
the annual hundred dollars which Janet had received.
"She's grown up, you see. So good of you to be interested in my daughter. I'd almost
forgotten you. Amazingly kind of a stranger to be so faithful to a mite that has no parents.
Haven't been in Buffalo since that day twenty years ago. No. Sit in the parlor. You'd probably
like some coffee. Janet makes fine coffee. We can give you some honey, too. Raise it myself. It
seems to me that bees are about as--"
Janet's frown intercepted him. Chloe was escorted to the parlor. Once, when a car passed
in the street outside she bent nervously toward the window. None of its occupants could be
considered a Sabrian. Jamison continued to talk. Chloe nodded in a lordly way, puffed, and
thought about what she would say. She was finally given a chance.
"Just happen to be passing through?" he asked.
Chloe unfolded her story while she drank coffee. "No. I came out just to see you. I have
some news for you. There's a chance that your daughter may inherit a sum of money from-ah-an
old estate. Only, I'll need to have her in Philadelphia right away if it is to go through. I could
drive her back. Pm sure you wouldn't mind if I took her for a few days."
Janet and her father were looking at each other with half-credulous and half-incredulous
expressions. "You mean--you've found out that I have--a family?" Janet asked in a hushed voice.
Chloe nodded.
Jamison looked out at the car and back at the girl. His eyes filled. Janet understood. "I
wouldn't leave you, daddy." She looked anxiously at Chloe. "They aren't alive--are they?"
"No," Chloe said. "Just an estate."
Jamison's face was radiant then. He cleared his throat. "Just--if you don't mind and I'm
not too inquisitive--well--how much would it come to?"
"About five thousand dollars," Chloe said. She ignored the double gasp. "But I'll have to
be going right away. Now. I--I will need you there at once."
Janet thought of Barney. Perhaps that had been her first thought when she realized that
there was a possibility of locating her family. He would not have to accept the burden of her
unknown birth. She wanted desperately to tell him. And he, too, was going to Philadelphia.
"Couldn't I follow you on the train today?" She could go with Barney! What a surprise it
would be to him.
But Chloe was in terror of every passing instant. "I m afraid not. We will try to get back
ahead of the train."
"It'll save carfare," Jamison said gently.
They considered briefly and Chloe repeated the need of haste. Janet had been eating a
quiet breakfast. Then suddenly she was in her room filling a battered suitcase with her clothes.
Five thousand dollars was more important than Mr. Dorman's store. Bona fide parents were
worth still more than money. She wrote a note to Barney:
"Darling--I'm going to Philadelphia. A lady who helped manage my adoption has located
the estate or my family. Think of it! I really had a mother and father! And they left me five
thousand dollars! I'll call you up in the big city tomorrow. Love and kisses. Janet."
She entrusted the note to her father. She kissed him, and ran back from the porch to kiss
him again. The chauffeur took her bag. The car started. She did not see Barney when he walked
up the street.
He took the note from Mr. Jamison's fingers and read it. He glanced at Mr. Jamison who
was still staring in the direction the car had taken.
"Darn it, they use those contraptions just like trains. Imagine figuring on getting to
Philadelphia this afternoon--by road!"
"What?" Barney said.
"Isn't that fine news, my boy? She'd have waited sure if she had guessed you were
coming here. She figured you'd say good-bye at lunch time."
Barney read the note again. "What's the trouble?" Jamison asked. "Aren't you glad?"
Barney nodded. No use in telling Mr. Jamison that things were not what they seemed to
be. His mind was trying feverishly to decide just why Chloe had kidnaped Janet and just what
she would do with the girl. Hide her? Probably.
He asked a question. "Did Janet say anything to Miss Laforge-Leigh about me?"
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