Birdie closed the door behind her composedly and came farther into the room.  "Pete th' pasthry cook just tells me that Minnie Wenzel told th' day clerk, who told the barkeep, who told th' janitor, who told th' chef, who told Pete, that Minnie had caught Ted stealin' some three hundred dollars." 

 Ted took a quick step forward.  "Birdie, for Heaven's sake keep out of this. You can't make things any better. You may believe in me, but——" 

 "Where's the money?" asked Birdie. 

 Ted stared at her a moment, his mouth open ludicrously. 

 "Why—I—don't—know," he articulated, painfully.  "I never thought of that." 

 Birdie snorted defiantly.  "I thought so. D'ye know," sociably, "I was visitin' with my aunt Mis' Mulcahy last evenin'." 

 There was a quick rustle of silks from Minnie Wenzel's direction. 

 "Say, look here——" began Jo Haley, impatiently. 

 "Shut up, Jo Haley!" snapped Birdie.  "As I was sayin', I was visitin' with my aunt Mis' Mulcahy. She does fancy washin' an' ironin' for the swells. An' Minnie Wenzel, there bein' none sweller, hires her to do up her weddin' linens. Such smears av hand embridery an' Irish crochet she never see th' likes, Mis' Mulcahy says, and she's seen a lot. And as a special treat to the poor owld soul, why Minnie Wenzel lets her see some av her weddin' clo'es. There never yet was a woman who cud resist showin' her weddin' things to every other woman she cud lay hands on. Well, Mis' Mulcahy, she see that grand trewsow and she said she never saw th' beat. Dresses! Well, her going away suit alone comes to eighty dollars, for it's bein' made by Molkowsky, the little Polish tailor. An' her weddin' dress is satin, do yuh mind! Oh, it was a real treat for my aunt Mis' Mulcahy." 

 Birdie walked over to where Minnie Wenzel sat, very white and still, and pointed a stubby red finger in her face.  "'Tis the grand manager ye are, Miss Wenzel, gettin' satins an' tailor-mades on yer salary. It takes a woman, Minnie Wenzel, to see through a woman's thricks." 

 "Well I'll be dinged!" exploded Jo Haley. 

 "Yuh'd better be!" retorted Birdie Callahan. 

 Minnie Wenzel stood up, her lip caught between her teeth. 

 "Am I to understand, Jo Haley, that you dare to accuse me of taking your 

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