own early. Lately I've acquired the habit of
early rising."

"An excellent habit in a young man," she laughed. "All men who achieve
success are early risers--so a Cabinet Minister said the other day. And
really, I believe it."

"An hour in the early morning is worth three after dinner. That is why
Cabinet Ministers entertain people at breakfast nowadays instead of at
dinner. In the morning the brain is fresh and active--a fact recently
discovered in our post-war days," Hugh said.

Then, as his hostess turned to the hot-plate upon the sideboard, lifting
the covers to see what her cook had provided, he re-scanned the letter
which had been openly addressed to him. It was from Dorise:

"I refuse to be deceived any longer, I have discovered that you are now
a fellow-guest with the girl Louise, to whom you introduced me. And yet
you arranged to meet me at Farnham, believing that I was not aware
of your close friendship with her! I have believed in you up to the
present, but the scales have now fallen from my eyes. I thought you
loved me too well to deceive me--as you are doing. Hard things are being
said about you--but you can rest content that I shall reveal nothing
that I happen to know. What I do know, however, has changed my thoughts
concerning you. I believed you to be the victim of circumstance. Now
I know you have deceived me, and that I, myself, am the victim. I need
only add that someone else--whom I know not--knows of your hiding-place,
for, by a roundabout way, I heard of it, and hence, I address this
letter to you.--DORISE."

Hugh Henfrey stood staggered. There was no mistaking the meaning of that
letter now that he had read it a second time.

Dorise doubted him! And what answer could he give her? Any explanation
must, to her, be but a lame excuse.

Hugh ate his breakfast sullenly. To Louise, who put in a late
appearance, and helped herself off the hot-plate, he said cheerfully:

"How lazy you are!"

"It's not laziness, Hugh," replied the girl. "The maid was so late with
my tea--and--well, to tell the truth, I upset a whole new box of powder
on my dressing-table and had to clean up the mess."

"More haste--less speed," laughed Hugh. "It is always the same in the
morning--eh?"

When the girl sat down at the table Hugh had brightened up. Still the
load upon his shoulders was a heavy one. He was ever obsessed by the
mystery of his father's death, combined with that extraordinary will
by which it was