He was still wondering what he could have brought her when she came downstairs again. She was wearing a severely plain black satin dress with a narrow band of gold mesh at the neck and sleeves. He smiled to himself. Gee, couldn't Lillian and Louise give her some pointers on clothes though? He didn't know what Helen had paid for the dress, but whatever the price he'd bet that Lillian or Louise could have gotten three times that much gold mesh for the money.
"Hello," he said. "Suppose you've been worried about where I was last night."
He thought that an expression of surprise flitted across her face. He wasn't sure. Couldn't have been surprise though. Must have been anger.
"Well, I'll tell you, Helen. You know Steve Flynn?"
"Who?"
"Steve Flynn. You know the fellow who owns the big markets."
"Oh, yes," Helen said unconvincingly. "I know who you mean."
"Well, I ran into him just as I was on my way home to dinner yesterday. Hadn't seen him in a dog's age, you know. Well, Steve and I have always been good friends and he was glad to see me. He'd heard that I'd retired and he was all for getting me to take a job with him. He's just lost a man that he valued a lot and has had a deuce of a time replacing him. Begged me to take the job. I said no, of course. Made me go to dinner with him to talk things over. We got drinking. You know how fellows will do, and the first thing you know, Steve passes out cold. Well, I had to take Steve home
