barge in this way, Mr. Aldriff, but I want to talk to you about my uncle. I must
see you alone."
Rising, Aldriff waved an invitation for Joan to take a chair. Approaching
the door, he motioned at a stodgy butler who had followed the girl from the
front door. The gesture meant for the butler to go away, which he did. Aldriff
closed the door.
"And now, Miss Kelburn?"
"I'll come right to the point, Mr. Aldriff," stated Joan. "It's about that
stock my uncle is selling. You're in back of it."
"If you mean Pharco Stores," acknowledged Aldriff, "I have guaranteed the
necessary assets. The Pharco chain will be a group of ultramodern drugstores
extending from coast to coast -"
"I've heard Uncle Smead give his sales talk," interrupted Joan. "You don't
need to repeat it, Mr. Aldriff. I want to know where the money is coming from to
start those stores that people are buying stock in. Will it be Magnax money?"
Aldriff gave a quick negative headshake and waved his hands along with it.
"No, no, Miss Kelburn!" he exclaimed. "The Magnax Corp. manufactures drugs,
but does not retail them. True, I am one of the three men controlling Magnax -
but the other two, Lloyd Dulther and Hubert Sigby, know nothing about my
interest in Pharco. I planned Pharco as my own enterprise."
"And you can make good on your million dollar promises?"
"I always make good on my promises, Miss Kelburn." Aldriff's worried
expression vanished when he smiled. "Rest assured that everything will turn out
precisely as planned."
THERE was a rap at the door. Aldriff opened it, to admit his secretary,
Nevlin, a small, officious man who was superintending the moving of a light but
very large crate, which contained the Chinese screen.
The crate was very thin, but it was at least six feet long and considerably
wider. The servants who carried it had to tilt it cater-cornered to squeeze it
through the large door.
"How many sections are there to that screen?" exclaimed Aldriff. "A dozen?"
"Only three, Mr. Aldriff," returned Nevlin briskly. "And now, sir -"
He went to the nook at the end of the room, brought out the chess table and
put it down halfway to the fireplace. He was going back to get the chairs, when
Aldriff wanted to know what he was about.
"I'm clearing the nook," stated Nevlin. "The servants can move the filing
cabinet in there, and I shall set up the screen in front of it."
"And ruin my chess nook?" demanded Aldriff. "Outrageous, Nevlin!"
"But you haven't played chess lately, sir."
"That has nothing to do with it! Leave the cabinet where it is, and put the
screen around it."
Nevlin gave a shrug and dismissed the servants. Using a hammer, he began to
open the crate and cut the strings around the packing that contained the screen.
Since Nevlin required half the floor for the operation, Aldriff ushered Joan out
from the den.
They came into a large hall, from which he led her through a lighted
reception room to a sun porch on the far side of the house. All during the trip,
Aldriff was repeating that there was no need to worry.
