urned again to look at Ariel he discovered that she had
shifted the position of her chair slightly, and was gazing out of the
window with every appearance of cheerful meditation. She assumed so
unmistakably that he had of course gone on her mission that, dismayed
and his soul quaking, he could find neither an alternative nor words to
explain to this dazzling lady that not he nor any other could bear such
a message to Martin Pike.

Eugene went. There was nothing else to do; and he wished with every
step that the distance to the portals of the library might have been
greater.

In whatever guise he delivered the summons, it was perfectly
efficacious. A door slammed, a heavy and rapid tread was heard in the
hall, and Ariel, without otherwise moving, turned her head and offered
a brilliant smile of greeting.

"It was good of you," she said, as the doorway filled with red,
imperial wrath, "to wish to have a little chat with me. I'm anxious,
of course, to go over my affairs with you, and last night, after my
journey, I was too tired. But now we might begin; not in detail, of
course, just yet. That will do for later, when I've learned more about
business."

The great one had stopped on the threshold.

"Madam," he began, coldly, "when I say my library, I mean my--"

"Oh yes," she interrupted, with amiable weariness. "I know. You mean
you keep all the papers and books of the estate in there, but I think
we'd better put them off for a few days--"

"I'm not talking about the estate!" he exclaimed. "What I want to talk
to you about is being seen with Joseph Louden!"

"Yes," she nodded, brightly. "That's along the line we must take up
first."

"Yes, it is!" He hurled his bull-bass at her. "You knew everything
about him and his standing in this community! I know you did, because
Mrs. Pike told me you asked all about him from Mamie after you came
last night, and, see here, don't you--"

"Oh, but I knew before that," she laughed. "I had a correspondent in
Canaan, one who has always taken a great interest in Mr. Louden. I
asked Miss Pike only to get her own point of view."

"I want to tell you, madam," he shouted, coming toward her, "that no
member of my household--"

"That's another point we must take up to-day. I'm glad you remind me of
it," she said, thoughtfully, yet with so magically compelling an
intonation that he stopped his shouting in the middle of a word;
stopped with an apoplectic splutter. "We mus