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unable to go ahead with further payments under the contract.
    "If you wish to keep yourself available and there should be a change in the trend, we will keep you in mind as our first choice but we feel it would be unfair to you to fail to notify you of what is happening and the fact that we will be unable to continue the weekly payments in the nature of a guarantee.
    "Sincerely yours, Hollywood Talent Scout Modeling Agency, per Harrison T. Boring, President."
    Mason studied the letter thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "May I see the envelope, please, Dianne?"
    She handed him the envelope and Mason studied the postmark.
    "You received your money Saturday morning?" he asked.
    She nodded.
    "And this letter was postmarked Saturday morning. Would you mind telling me why you were so anxious to get your contract back yesterday, Dianne?"
    "Because I realized that I was not supposed to give out any information about what I was doing and-"
    "And someone telephoned you or reminded you of that clause in your contract?"
    "No, it was just something that I remembered Mr. Boring had said."
    "What?"
    "Well, you know I had been working as secretary for a firm of attorneys and he told me that he not only didn't want any publicity in connection with the contract, and that I wasn't to talk to anyone about it, but he mentioned particularly that he didn't want me to have any attorney friend looking it over, and if I took it to an attorney it would be a very serious breach of confidence."
    "I see," Mason said.
    "So after I let Della take the contract I suddenly realized that if she should show it to you, I would have been violating his instructions and the provisions of the contract. Tell me, Mr. Mason, do you suppose there's any chance that he knew what I was doing? That is, that I'd seen you Saturday and that I'd let Della Street look at the contract and-"
    Mason interrupted by shaking his head. "This letter is postmarked eleven-thirty Saturday morning," he said.
    "Oh, yes, that's right. I… I guess I felt a little guilty about letting the contract out of my possession."
    "Was there a letter with the check you received Saturday morning?"
    "No. Just the check. They never write letters, just send me the check."
    "Did you notice the postmark?"
    "No, I didn't."
    "Save the envelope?"
    "No."
    "It must have been mailed Friday night," Mason said, "if you received it Saturday morning. Now, that means that between Friday night and Saturday noon, something happened to cause Mr. Boring to change his mind."
    "He probably learned of some trend in styles which-"
    "Nonsense!" Mason interrupted. "He wasn't thinking about any trend in styles. That contract, Dianne, is a trap."
    "What kind of a trap?"
    "I don't know," Mason said, "but you will notice the way it's drawn. Boring pays you a hundred dollars a week and gets one-half of your gross income from all sources for a period of up to six years if he wants to hold the contract in force that long."
    Dianne said somewhat tearfully, "Of course I didn't regard this as an option. I thought it was an absolute contract. I thought I was entitled to a hundred dollars a week for two years, at least."
    "That's what the contract says," Mason said.
    "Well then, what right does he have to terminate it in this way?"
    "He has no right," Mason said.
    "I'm so glad to hear you say so! That was the way I read the contract, but this letter sounds so-so final."
    "It sounds very final," Mason said. "Very final, very businesslike, and was intended to cause you to panic."
    "But what should I do, Mr. Mason?"
    "Give me a dollar," Mason said.
    "A dollar?"
    "Yes. By way of retainer, and leave your copy of the contract with me, if you brought it."
    Dianne hesitated a moment, then laughed, opened her purse and handed him a dollar and the folded contract.
    "I can pay you-I can pay you for your advice, Mr. Mason."
    Mason shook his head. "I'll take the dollar, which makes you my client," he said. "i'll collect the rest of it from Boring or