ound some chicken and got a
bottle of the old doctor's wine--I had kept the key of his wine-cellar
since he died--and carried the tray up to Mr. Pierce's sitting-room. He
had the old doctor's suite.

The door was open an inch or so, and as I was about to knock I heard a
girl's voice. It was Miss Patty!

"How can you deny it?" she was saying angrily. "I dare say you will even
deny that you ever saw this letter before!"

There was a minute's pause while I suppose he looked at the letter.

"I never did!" he said solemnly.

There had been a queer sound all along, but now I made it out. Some one
else was in the room, sniveling and crying.

"My poor lamb!" it whimpered. And I knew it was Mrs. Hutchins, Miss
Patty's old nurse.

"Perhaps," said Miss Patty, "you also deny that you were in Ohio the day
before yesterday."

"I was in Ohio, but I positively assert--"

"I'll send for the police, that's what I'll do!" Mrs. Hutchins said,
with a burst of rage, and her chair creaked. "How can I ever tell your
father?"

"You'll do nothing of the sort," said Miss Patty. "Do you want the whole
story in the papers? Isn't it awful enough as it is? Mr. Carter, I have
asked my question twice now and I am waiting for an answer."

"But I don't know the answer!" he said miserably. "I--I assure you, I'm
absolutely in the dark. I don't know what's in the letter. I--I haven't
always done what I should, I dare say, but my conduct in the state
of Ohio during the last few weeks has been without stain--unless I've
forgotten--but if it had been anything very heinous, I'd remember, don't
you think?"

Somebody crossed the room, and a paper rustled.

"Read that!" said Miss Patty's voice. And then silence for a minute.

"Good lord!" exclaimed Mr. Pierce.

"Do you deny that?"

"Absolutely!" he said firmly. "I--I have never even heard of the
Reverend Dwight Johnstone--"

There was a scream from Mrs. Hutchins, and a creak as she fell into her
chair again.

"Your father!" she said, over and over. "What can we say to your
father?"

"And that is all you will say?" demanded Miss Patty scornfully. "'You
don't know;' 'there's a mistake;' 'you never saw the letter before!' Oh,
if I were only a man!"

"I'll tell you what we'll do," Mr. Pierce said, with something like
hope in his voice. "We'll send for Mr. Van Alstyne! That's the thing, of
course. I'll send for--er--Jim."

Mr. Van Alstyne's name is Sam, but nobody noticed.

"Mr. Van Alsty