The rich man would then drive a bargain with my
supposed husband, pay over a lot of money--after which Barney, Old
Jimmie, and I would disappear with our profits."
"Maggie!" he repeated, stupefied with his incredulous amazement. But
the unflinching gaze she held upon him convinced him she was speaking
the truth. "Then, if that was your game, why are you telling me now?
Why didn't you say 'yes' when I proposed a week ago? I would have
fallen for the game; you would have succeeded."
Not till that moment did Maggie realize the full truth; not till then
did she realize the solid influence Larry Brainard had been in the
background of her life all these months.
"I didn't go through with it because of Larry Brainard."
"Larry Brainard!" His astonishment increased. "You know Larry
Brainard, then?"
"I've known him for several years."
"And you've been coming out, and he's been pretending not to know you!
Of course I knew what Larry Brainard has been. But is he in this,
too?"
"No. He's exactly what you think him. From the start he's been trying
to keep me out of this. He was behind my coming to your house; he's
told me so. His reason for getting me there was his belief that my
being treated by you and your sister as I was would make me ashamed of
myself and make me want to quit what I was doing.
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