sure to get him into trouble, isn't it?"

Winthrop shook his head, and smiled.

"It may," he said. Mrs. Vance broke into a fresh outburst of tears. "I
knew it," she cried, "I knew it." Winthrop placed his hand upon her arm
and turned her in the direction of the door.

"Don't worry," he said soothingly. "Go send Miss Vera here. And," he
called after her, "don't worry."

As Mabel departed upon his errand, Rainey reentered from the bedroom.
He carefully closed the door and halted with his hand upon the knob, and
shook his head.

"It's no use," he said, "he will go on with it. It's not my fault," he
whined, "I told him it would kill him. I couldn't make it any stronger
than that, could I?"

Rainey was not looking at Winthrop, but, as though fearful of
interruption, toward the door. His eyes were harassed, furtive, filled
with miserable indecision. Many times before Winthrop had seen men in
such a state. He knew that for the sufferer it foretold a physical break
down, or that he would seek relief in full confession. To give the man
confidence, he abandoned his attitude of suspicion.

"That certainly would be strong enough for me," he said cheerfully. "Did
you tell him what I advised?"

"Yes, yes," muttered Rainey impatiently. "He said you were invited here
to give advice to his niece, not to him." For the first time his eyes
met those of Winthrop boldly. The District Attorney recognized that the
man had taken his fears by the throat, and had arrived at his decision.

"See here," exclaimed Rainey, "could I give you some information?"

"I'm sure you could," returned Winthrop briskly. "Give it to me now."

But Rainey, glancing toward the door, shrank back. Winthrop, following
the direction of his eyes, saw Vera. Impatiently he waved Rainey away.

"At the office, tomorrow morning," he commanded. With a sigh of relief
at the reprieve, Rainey slipped back into the bedroom.

Winthrop had persuaded himself that in seeking to speak with Vera,
he was making only a natural choice between preventing the girl from
perpetrating a fraud, or, later, for that fraud, holding her to account.
But when she actually stood before him, he recognized how absurdly he
had deceived himself. At the mere physical sight of her, there came
to him a swift relief, a thrill of peace and deep content; and with
delighted certainty he knew that what Vera might do or might not do
concerned him not at all, that for him all that counted was the girl