ngest impulse to go to
the foot of the stairs and call Kitty--give her the house--and
run--run--get out."

"Oh!" cried the doctor sarcastically. "A good impulse. I see! Some one
else _must_ have been thinking for you--certainly."

"When I wouldn't do it," the scared voice went on, "I thought he gave me
a terrible look." He covered his eyes with his hand. "A _terrible_
look."

"Your uncle?" demanded Dr. McPherson.

"Yes," breathed Frederik. "_Och!_ God! I won't forget _that_ look!" he
cried excitedly, uncovering his eyes again. "And as I started from the
room--he blotted out--I mean I saw him blot out--Then I left the
photograph on the desk, and----"

"Ah!" exclaimed the doctor triumphantly. "That's how Willem came by it.
Had you never had this impulse before--to give up Kathrien--to let her
have the cottage?"

"_Not much_--I hadn't!" said Frederik decidedly, walking back and forth
a moment.

Then, looking toward the desk, he reached out his hand until it touched
the back of a chair beside it, and, giving the chair a quick pull out of
what was evidently to him a danger zone, he sat down.

"I told you some one else was _thinking_ for me," he said. "I don't want
to give her up. I love her." (His eyes went dark.) "But if she's going
to turn against me for--well, I'm not going to sit _here_ and cry about
it. But I'll tell you one thing: from this time I propose to think for
myself. I've done with this house," he cried, getting up. "I'd like to
sell it along with the rest and let a stranger"--he flung the chair
recklessly against the desk--"raze it to the ground.

"When I walk out of here to-night she can have it."

He looked thoughtfully at the desk a moment.

"Oh, I wouldn't sleep here--I give her the house because--well, I----"

"You want to be on the safe side in case he _was_ there!" scoffed Dr.
McPherson.

Frederik dropped his voice almost to a whisper, and there was perplexity
in it as well as awe.

"How do you account for it anyway, Doctor?" he asked.

Instead of answering, the doctor asked another question.

"Frederik," he said, "when did you see Anne Marie last?"

"Now," said Frederik disagreeably, "I'm not answering questions."

"I think it only fair to tell you," said Dr. McPherson, "that it won't
matter a damn whether you answer me or not. Don't fret yourself that I'm
not going to find her. This has come home to me. I'm off to the city
to-morrow. I'll have the truth from her; if I have to c