Jimmy gazed about the room in perplexity. What was he to do? Why on
earth should he leave his letters unanswered and his mail topsy turvy to
rush forth in the shank of the morning at the bidding of a young woman
whom he abhorred. Ridiculous! He would do no such thing. He lit a cigar
and began to open a few letters marked "private." For the life of him he
could not understand one word that he read. A worried look crossed his
face.
"Suppose Zoie were really in need of help, Aggie would certainly never
forgive him if he failed her." He rose and walked up and down.
"Why was he not to tell Aggie?"
"Where was Alfred?" He stopped abruptly. His over excited imagination
had suggested a horrible but no doubt accurate answer. "Wedded to an
abomination like Zoie, Alfred had sought the only escape possible to a
man of his honourable ideals--he had committed suicide."
Seizing his coat and hat Jimmy dashed through the outer office without
instructing his astonished staff as to when he might possibly return.
"Family troubles," said the secretary to himself as he appropriated one
of Jimmy's best cigars.