Olive."

"If your own invention will not serve, I fear mine will be at an utter
loss. But you know how glad I shall be to share your confidence."

"My invention must serve," she said, firmly, and quite ignoring the
latter clause of his speech; "and so must yours. You see, my plan
before going to the city was a comparatively simple one. I intended to
work my way into the confidence of Mrs. John Arthur. Failing in that,
Hagar must have been reinstated, and then the _denouement_ would have
been easy: to get possession of specimens of the medicine prescribed
for Mr. Arthur; to hunt down this sham doctor they are to introduce
into the house; to show John Arthur the manner of wife he has; to make
my own terms with him, and then expose and turn out the whole pack.
But all this must be changed."

"Changed? And how?"

"I can't turn them out of Oakley. I must keep them there, every one of
them, at any cost."

Dr. Vaughan looked puzzled. "We can't allow them to kill that old man,
not even to vindicate poetical justice," he said, gravely.

"No; we can't allow just that. But don't you see, if we turn these
people away now, we defeat a chief end and aim--the liberation of
Philip Girard?"

"True."

"Well, this is why I have changed my plan."

He looked at her with an admiration that was almost homage.

"And you will give up your own vengeance, for the sake of Olive and
her happiness?"

She laughed oddly. "Not at all. I only defer it, to make it the more
complete. Now, listen to what I propose to do, and see if you can
suggest anything safer or better."

And then she unfolded a plan that made Clarence Vaughan start in
amazement, but which, after it was fully revealed, he could not amend
nor condemn. He could see no other way by which all that they aimed at
could be accomplished.

"Of course, the plan has its risks," concluded the girl. "But we could
try no other scheme without incurring the same, or greater. And I
_believe_ that I shall not fail."

"I wish it were not necessary that you should undergo so much; think
what it will be for you," gently.

"Oh, for me, ..." indifferently; "I shall be less of a spy, and more
of an actress,--that is all."

"Then I shall set the detectives at work?"

"Immediately."

"Have you any further instructions, any clue, to give them?"

"Nothing; it is to be simply a research. Neither must know to what end
the information is desired. It will be better to employ your men from
d