down. At last, after crying pitifully, she sank back
on the pillow and the phantoms seemed to leave her poor brain. Like a
child she dropped off into a deep sleep, and Bob and Betty were free
to creep back to their rooms and try to compose their nerves. Miss
Charity had slept peacefully through it all.

The doctor, told of Miss Hope's ravings, listened thoughtfully, but
did not seem to attach much importance to the recital. He had driven
up early the following morning and brought the hopeful news that the
fire was said to be under control.

"She's always had a tendency to be flighty in any illness," he said,
speaking of Miss Hope's disorders. "Faith was a sister to whom she
was greatly attached. A pretty girl who married and went away before
I came here to practise. Miss Saunders told me once that from the
time of her marriage to this, not a word of her ever reached them.
She completely disappeared. Of course this has preyed on the minds of
both sisters, and it's a wonder they haven't broken down before
this."

Doctor Morrison stayed an hour or so, and praised Betty's nursing
unstintedly. He said she seemed to know what to do instinctively and
had that rare tact of the born nurse which teaches her how to avoid
irritating her patients.

Both Betty and Bob felt that they had no right to explore the house,
though they were interested to know what might be upstairs. Betty,
especially, was anxious to see the attic. She pictured trunks filled
with papers that might be of help and interest to Bob, and in her
experience an attic never failed to reveal a history of the family.

She did find, in the parlor where she slept, an old album, and that
afternoon brought it out on the porch to show it to Bob. She hoped
he might be able to recognize his mother among the tintypes and
photographs. But as soon as she stepped outdoors she saw something
which made her almost drop the precious old album and clutch Bob's
arm wildly.

"Look who's coming in here!" she cried excitedly.

"Well, what do you know about that!" ejaculated the astonished Bob.

CHAPTER XVIII

STRANGE VISITORS

Walking jauntily down the path which now, thanks to Bob, was neat and
trim, came the two men who had aroused Bob's suspicions on the train,
and whom he had followed into the smoking-car. They were dressed as
they had been then--gray suits, gray ties, socks and hats. The older
man was mopping his face with a very white handkerchief, and his
shor