hat if things go on the way they are going,
I think John Fulton will die of a broken heart. You see, he's had too
much--more than you and I can possibly imagine--and that much he has
now lost. If he isn't to get back any portion of it, he'll curl up and
die.

Hoping you're having a fine time and fine weather,

Always your affectionate friend,
H.C.

Well, the days of basking in the sunshine on top of the powder magazine
were over.

After some thought, I went to Lucy's brother and gave him Harry's
letter to read. He had slept late, and I found him dressing.

Schuyler was, of course, deeply troubled and concerned. That he
himself hadn't had "an inkling of this--not an inkling," seemed for
some minutes quite important to him, for he made the statement a number
of times. Then, for he was energetic, and, like Lucy, oftenest in a
hurry, he said:

"The thing to do is for us to take this letter to Lucy, stand over her
while she reads it, and then throw hot shot into her. Why it's a
damned shame! John's been twice as good a husband as Lucy's been a
wife. And now she does this to him." Then something appeared to
strike Schuyler's sense of humor, for he burst out laughing. "And he's
getting jealous of you!" he said gleefully. "When did you first become
a snake in the grass?"

"Perhaps you'll end by calling me that," I said gravely. "Stop
laughing, Schuyler. A very sad thing has happened and a very wonderful
thing. Lucy and I----"

His face became instantly as grave as mine. "Lucy and you?"

"We hope that you'll be on our side."

"And John doesn't know?"

"You see by Harry's letter that although he doesn't _know_, his
intuition is trying to tell him."

"How long's this been goin' on?"

"It just came, Schuyler, happened, was--not many days ago. We didn't
see it coming, and----"

He interrupted sharply, his eyes grown suddenly cold. "I want to know
if you have still a sort of right to be in this house?"

"Why--yes--I think so."

"_Think_--don't you _know_?"

He gave a harsh short laugh.

"I know what you are driving at, of course. We care about each other.
If _that's_ wrong, that's all that is wrong."

"You take a weight off me," he said, and his tone was more friendly.

"You always maintained that love was its own justification, Schuyler?"

"And I've heard you maintain that it wasn't. Now we seem to have
swapped beliefs."

He turned to his dressing-table and tied his tie. While s