mes.

"He knew I meant to see your uncle--meant to make him do justice to
Esther. I suppose I'd made wild threats. Besides, I left my glove
there--on the table, I think. I'd taken it off with some notion of
writing a note telling your uncle I had been there and that he had to
see me next day."

"The police didn't find a woman's glove in the room, did they?" James
asked his brother.

"Didn't hear of it if they did," Jack replied.

"That's it, you see," explained Rose. "Kirby would know my glove. It
was a small riding-gauntlet with a rose embroidered on it. He probably
took it with him when he left. He kept still about the whole thing
because I was the woman and he was afraid of gettin' me into trouble."

"Sounds reasonable," agreed James.

"That's how it was. Kirby's a good friend. He'd never tell on me if
they hanged him for it."

"They won't do that, Miss McLean," the older brother assured her.
"We're going to find who did this thing. Kirby and I have shaken hands
on that. But about your story. I don't quite see how we're going to
use it. We must protect your sister, too, as well as my cousin. If we
go to the police with your evidence and ask them to release Kirby,
they'll want to arrest you."

"I know," she nodded wisely, "and of course they'd find out about
Esther then and the papers would get it and scatter the story
everywhere."

"Exactly. We must protect her first. Kirby wouldn't want anything
done that would hurt her. Suppose we put it up to him and see what he
wants to do."

"But we can't have him kept in jail," she protested.

"I'll get him out on bond; if not to-day, tomorrow."

"Well," she agreed reluctantly. "If that's the best we can do."

Rose would have liked to have paid back Kirby's generosity in kind. If
her sister had not been a factor of the equation she would have gone
straight to the police with her story and suffered arrest gladly to
help her friend. But the circumstances did not permit a heroic
gesture. She had to take and not give.

CHAPTER XVI

THE LADY WITH THE VIOLET PERFUME

"I won't have it," Kirby said flatly. "If Miss McLean tells her story
to the district attorney he'll probably arrest her. It'll come out
about her sister an' the papers will run scare-heads. No need of it
a-tall. Won't hurt me to stay here a few days if I have to."

Jack, dapper and trim, leaned on his cane and watched his cousin. He
felt a reluctant admiration for t