“When I started,” she blurted out with a bitter little laugh, “I thought I’d make a little pin money.  That’s how I began—­with that and the excitement.  And now this is the end.”

She had risen and was pacing the floor wildly.

“Mrs. Dunlap,” she cried, pausing before Constance, “to-day I am nothing more nor less than a ‘capper,’ as they call it, for a gambling resort.”

She was almost hysterical.  The contrast with the gay, respectable, prosperous-looking woman at Bella’s was appalling.  Constance realized to the full what were the tragedies that were enacted elsewhere.

As she looked at the despairing woman, she could reconstruct the terrible situation.  Cultivated, well-bred, fashionably gowned, a woman like Mrs. Noble served admirably the purpose of luring men on.  If there had been only women or only men involved, it perhaps would not have been so bad.  But there were both.  Constance saw that men were wanted, men who could afford to lose not hundreds, but thousands, men who are always the heaviest players.  And so Mrs. Noble and other unfortunate women no doubt were sent out on Broadway to the cafes and restaurants, sent out even among those of their own social circle, always to lure men on, to involve themselves more and more in the web into which they had flown.  Bella had hoped even to use Constance!

Mrs. Noble had paused again.  There was evident sincerity in her as she looked deeply into the eyes of Constance.

Nothing but desperation could have wrung her inmost secrets from her to another woman.

“I saw them trying to throw you together with Haddon Halsey,” she said, almost tragically.  “It was I who introduced Haddon to them.  I was to get a percentage of his losses to pay off my own—­but”—­her feelings seemed to overcome her and wildly, desperately, she added—­ “but I can’t—­I can’t.  I—­I must rescue him—­I must.”

It was a strange situation.  Constance reasoned it out quickly.  What a wreck of life these two were making!  Not only they were involved, but others who as yet knew nothing, Mrs. Noble’s husband, the family of Halsey.  She must help.

“Mrs. Noble,” said Constance calmly, “can you trust me?”

She shot a quick glance at Constance.  “Yes,” she murmured.

“Then to-night visit Mrs. LeMar as though nothing had happened.  Meanwhile I will have thought out a plan.”

It was late in the afternoon when Constance saw Halsey again, this time in his office, where he had been waiting impatiently for some word from her.  The relief at seeing her showed only too plainly on his face.

“This inaction is killing me,” he remarked huskily.  “Has anything happened to-day!”

She said nothing about the visit of Mrs. Noble.  Perhaps it was better that each should not know yet that the other was worried.

“Yes,” she replied, “much has happened.  I cannot tell you now.  But to-night let us all go again as though nothing had occurred.”