Bridie stared at me, taking this in. "That was another reason that the principal of that other school withdrew," she said. "She's also a suffragist." She paused. "I think I'll be a suffragist when I leave school. It's not right that women can't vote, is it?"

"No it's not. But there are some women in the world doing amazing things, in spite of all the opposition," I said. "Madame Curie, for example."

"Oh yes. We learned about her," Bridie said. "She won the Nobel Prize. But she can't vote either, can she? And when her papers were published they had to have her husband's name on them. It's simply not fair."

"I agree. And I'm glad that your generation will do something about it," I said. "Now go and pick up those things you knocked over in the hall and then come and have a cup of tea."

"Can't I go over to the ladies' first?" Bridie asked. "I'm dying to tell them."

"They've been busy getting ready for guests, like everyone else in the city," I said, "so perhaps you should not interrupt them."

"They've got guests staying with them?"

"They have," I said. "They are hosting fellow Vassar alumnae who will be taking part in the parades, and also Gus's cousin from Boston, I believe. I'm sure we'll be invited to meet them when they've settled in."

I went through the normal evening chores, trying to keep worry at bay while I waited for Daniel to come home. I let him eat his dinner in peace, waiting to find the right time to bring up our money situation. I understood that the poor fellow had been working hard all day, making sure security was in place for the parades as well as the big civic receptions that included various heads of state. So I sat patiently watching him eat his liver and onions, which he did without complaining. When he'd finished his plate he actually said, "That was good, Molly. We should have liver more often."

Which just goes to show you never know what a reaction will be. I poured Daniel a cup of coffee, cleared away the plates, went up to read Liam his bedtime story, made sure Mary Kate was sleeping, and checked on Bridie's homework before I joined Daniel in the parlor.

"Daniel," I said. "We had liver tonight because I'm running really short of money. This can't go on."

He sighed. "I know. I've written to Mr. Fitch again, explaining our plight. We should hear something soon."

I fought back my rising temper. "And how soon is that? When we're close to starving? When I put the children out on the street to beg?"

He put down the paper. "Molly, aren't you being a trifle overdramatic?"

"Perhaps I am," I said. "But I need more money right now, Daniel. Can you go to your bank tomorrow and take out some of our savings?"

To my horror his face actually turned bright red.

"What?" I asked, a feeling of dread creeping over me. "We don't have money in the bank? I was sure we had savings."

"Well, you see," he began, averting his eyes from my glare, "I've been paying the five agents working for me out of our savings."

"You've been paying five salaries for three months?" I demanded. "Daniel Sullivan, you want your head examined."

He looked embarrassed. "There's no reason they should not be paid on time, and as their boss I felt responsible. They have families to feed."

"And we don't have a family to feed?" I could hear my voice rising. "You didn't think to discuss this with me first? To ask my opinion on whether we should empty our savings account?"

He looked away. "I didn't want to upset you or cause you worry," he said. "I was sure the money would come in and I could replace it—"

"Without my knowing?" I finished the sentence, still glaring at him. "Is that how our marriage is to be, Daniel? I'm just the little woman at home and you make the decisions about what to do with our finances?"

"Look, I'm sorry," he said. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

"What you should be doing is going down to Washington and thumping on someone's desk until they write you a check. What if some bigwig suddenly decides that the Bureau doesn't need a New York office after all and you're let go? And we're out hundreds of dollars?"

"Molly, that won't happen," he said. "It will all come right in the end. It's just that these things take time."

"And while we wait, your family will be reduced to eating bread and jam," I snapped. "And liver."