He pointed to beyond where she stood: "I think the ink supply is on
that shelf; she gave me an empty bottle. Should you mind handing me
one with ink in it?"

Kate turned to the shelf: "There seem to be two kinds here," she said
as coldly as possible.

"Any bottle with a hole in the top will do," he suggested. "This one,"
he held the bottle up in his hand and looked at it, "seems to have a
hole top and bottom. Give me the blue ink, will you?"

"I am sure I don't know which is which. Perhaps you had better help
yourself," Kate said icily.

"Thank you. But I'll show you how to open the door first."

"Don't trouble yourself."

"No trouble at all." He walked to the door, explaining as he took hold
of the knob: "The door wasn't locked, but the catch held the latch. I
could tell that from the way you handled it. You locked it,
yourself----"

Kate could not hide her resentment: "It wouldn't open when I first took
hold of it," she declared hastily. "I tried it before I touched the
key."

"That's what I'm explaining. When you did take hold of the key you
locked the door with the dead bolt and then you couldn't open it; so
you unlocked it and tried it again. After that you worked so fast I
lost track." He pointed to the back of the rim lock: "The catch was
on." And pushing down the catch, he turned the knob and opened the
door.

Kate was thoroughly incensed: "You are doubtless better acquainted here
than I am."

"To tell the truth, I have to be acquainted with rooms I go into. If
_I_ ever tried to get through a door and failed, it might not be
pleasant for me. And there's a board fence, six feet high, all around
this yard, so unless you're a good climber you couldn't have got out
anyway."

Kate felt she looked very silly, standing staring at him, and perhaps
looking frightened--as she really was---for he went on as if he were
explaining to a child: "I'm not permitted to tell you, but I'm going
to----"

"Don't bother, please----"

"Yes, I'd rather: There is a way to get out without climbing the fence;
a loose board I'll show you sometime--but you must handle yourself fast
to make your get-away."

"I never expect," she said contemptuously, "to have to make a get-away."

"Then I was wrong," he returned frankly, "for I kind of thought you
were trying to make one a minute ago."

His composure irritated Kate: "You are very much mistaken," she
declared with spirit in her words, for she saw--indeed