ging her father. However it may
have happened, she was in Churchill a few days ago. On that hypothesis
I am going to work, and as a consequence I am going to ask you for the
indefinite loan of the Lord Fitzhugh letter. Will you give me your word
to say nothing of that letter--for a few days?"

"It is almost necessary to show it to Brokaw," hesitated Philip.

"Almost--but not quite," Gregson caught him up. "Brokaw knows the
seriousness of the situation without that letter. See here, Phil--you
go out and fight, and let me handle this end of the business. Don't
reveal me to the Brokaws. I don't want to meet--her--yet, though God
knows if it wasn't for my confounded friendship for you I'd go over
there with you this minute. She was even more beautiful than when I saw
her--before."

"Then there is a difference," laughed Philip, meaningly.

"Not a difference, but a little better view," corrected the artist.

"Now, if we could only find the other girl, what a mess you'd be in,
Greggy! By George, but this is beginning to have its humorous as well
as its tragic side. I'd give a thousand dollars to have this other
golden-haired beauty appear upon the scene!"

"I'll give a thousand if you produce her," retorted Gregson.

"Good!" laughed Philip, holding out a hand. "I'll report again this
afternoon or to-night."

Inwardly he felt himself in no humorous mood as he retraced his steps
to Churchill. He had thought to begin his work of clearing up the
puzzling situation with Gregson, and Gregson had failed him completely
by his persistence in the belief that Miss Brokaw was the girl whose
face he had seen more than a week before. Was it possible, after all,
that the ship had touched at some point up the coast? The supposition
was preposterous. Yet before rejoining the Brokaws he sought out the
captain and found that the company's vessel had come directly from
Halifax without a change or stop in her regular course. The word of the
company's captain cleared up his doubts in one direction; it mystified
him more than ever in another. He was convinced that Gregson had not
seen Miss Brokaw until that morning. But who was Eileen's double? Where
was she at this moment? What peculiar combination of circumstance had
drawn them both to Churchill at this particularly significant time? It
was impossible for him not to associate the girl whom Gregson had
encountered, and who so closely resembled Eileen, with Lord Fitzhugh
and the plot agains