t and loose with
me as he has. If he doesn't want to pay this bill, contracted by your
father in the regular way--and I must say he was very nice to me--well,
there are other ways of collecting. I haven't told all I know."

"What do you mean?" demanded Viola hotly. "Oh, there's time enough
to tell later," was the answer. "I haven't been in the rare edition
business for nothing, nor just for my health. But wait until I see
LeGrand Blossom. Then I may call on you again!" And with this rather
veiled threat Morocco Kate took her leave.

"What horrible person was that?" asked Miss Mary Carwell, who met Viola
in the hail after her visitor's departure. "She was positively vulgar, I
should say, though I didn't see her."

"Oh, she was just a book agent. I sent her to Mr. Blossom."

"To Mr. Blossom, my dear! I didn't know he was literary."

"Neither was this person, Aunt Mary. I think I shall go and lie down. I
have a headache."

And as she locked herself in her room shed bitter tears on her pillow.
Who was this person who seemed to know Mr. Carwell so well, who boasted
of how "good" he was to her? Why did Colonel Ashley want to gain all the
information he could about her?

"Oh, what does it all mean?" asked Viola in shrinking terror. "Is there
to be some terrible--some horrible scandal?"

She put the question to Colonel Ashley a little later.

"Who is this woman?"

The colonel considered a moment before replying. Then, with a shrewd
look at Viola, he replied:

"Well, my dear, she isn't your kind, of course, but I've known her, and
known of her, for several years. She, and those she associates with,
work the de luxe game."

"The de luxe game? What is it?"

"In brief, it's a blackmailing scheme. A woman of the type of Miss
Tighe, to give her one of her names, associates herself with some men.
They arrange to have a set of some books--usually well known enough
and of a certain value--bound in expensive leather--full morocco--hand
tooled and all that. They call on rich men and women, and induce them to
buy the expensive and rare set, of which they say there is only one or
two on the market.

"Sometimes the sales are straight enough--particularly where women are
the buyers--but the books, even if delivered, are not worth anything
like the price paid.

"But, in the case of wealthy men the game is different."

"Different?"

"Yes, particularly where a woman like Morocco Kate is the agent. They
are not satisfied wi