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that it was truly the happiest day of her life. Above all, without Phinnie ever knowing, she must make certain that Maria Cardew did not get in the way.
    She pictured the woman they had seen in the park. Her face, as she turned in wonder to gaze at the snow-mantled trees, had not looked dissipated, or even angry or tired. But Jemima had been some distance away. Closer up, it might have betrayed all kinds of weaknesses, even the beginnings of disease. As her mother was wont to say, “At twenty you have the face naturehas given you; at fifty you have the face you deserve.” Time has a way of carving your character into you so that all may see it at a glance. The lines of habit cut deep, for better or worse.
    The next morning she set out with Harley to find and confront Maria Cardew. He assured her that he had decided exactly what to say to her, and a fall-back attitude to adopt if she should prove unreasonable. He was prepared to offer her money, in spite of Jemima’s advice to the contrary.
    They were in a coffee shop a block and a half from the building where he suspected Maria had gone on the previous evening when Harley spoke of his plan.
    “I am fairly sure I know which building it is, but I don’t know which rooms,” he told her as they sat opposite each other, their hands around their hot mugs. “I will go and inquire. Perhaps it may be necessary to bribe someone to let me know exactly where she is. Also, of course, I don’t know how she is satisfying the landlord regarding her rent,” he went on. “It is not a seemly place for you to come, except when I have actually found her. I regret that I have to involve you at all, and I am still hesitant, now that I see the neighborhood in daylight. But I think you may be able to persuade her of the harmshe would do Phinnie better than I can. I am ashamed to use your help, but I fear I cannot do without it.”
    “Mr. Albright,” Jemima said urgently, “please don’t apologize. We have come this far together, in a cause that is important to both of us. I am not afraid of a slight unpleasantness at the end. Let me know when you find her, and I shall come.”
    “I admire you, Miss Pitt, and I am most grateful,” he replied. Then he ordered another cup of coffee for her, paid for it, and left to go out into the gently falling snow.
    A full half hour later, he had still not returned. Wondering what could’ve kept him, Jemima decided to approach the building herself. If she did not see Harley, she could always return to the coffee shop.
    She fastened her coat and went out into the snow. It took her seven or eight minutes walking into the wind before she reached the building. She went in at the entrance and found herself in a tired and rather grubby hall. She understood at once why Harley had not wanted her to come here without him. But what on Earth could’ve kept him for so long? Jemima walked the length of the hall, annoyed. After a few minutes, she decided it was best that she just return to the coffee shop. As she turned toward the door, a young boy came in.
    “Excuse me,” Jemima said impulsively. The boy turned toward her and smiled, showing beautiful teeth.
    “Do you by chance know which rooms belong to Maria Cardew?” She did not believe he would know, but thought it was worth asking.
    The boy nodded. “309, I think,” he said, but with so strong an accent from somewhere in Eastern Europe that she took a moment to deduce what he said.
    “Thank you!” Jemima gave him a nickel from her purse. He took it and hid it immediately, then gave her another smile and darted outside again.
    It was a steep climb to the third floor, but in minutes she was at the top, looking at numbers on the doors. She found 309 at the far end and hesitated outside the door, wondering if she should go down and look for Harley. But perhaps Maria Cardew would be more inclined to listen to her, someone who had no history with the Albright and Cardew families, save being Phinnie’s