d left her until she heard the heavy thud of the
front door. Then, turning to the window, she thrust her slim little
hand between the sedately drawn curtains, and waved him a tender
good-by; then with a little sigh, she dropped among the pillows of the
couch, lost in thought.

"Whatever was meant by that conversation which I overheard," she
murmured to herself, "Ramon knows. I read it in his eyes."

The young man, as he made his way down the crowded avenue, was turning
over in his mind the extraordinary story which the girl he loved had
told him.

"What could it mean? Who could the man have been? Surely not Herbert
himself, and yet--oh! why will they not let sleeping dogs lie; why
must that old scandal, that one stain on Pennington Lawton's past have
been brought again to light, and at such a time? I pray God that Anita
never mentions it to anyone else, never learns the truth. By Jove, if
any complications arise from this, there will be only one thing for me
to do. I must call upon the Master Mind."

CHAPTER II

REVELATIONS

For two days Anita wandered wraithlike about the great darkened house.
The thought that Ramon was keeping something from her--that he and her
dead father together had kept a secret which, for some reason, must
not be revealed to her, weighed upon her spirits. Conjectures as to
the unknown intruder on the night of her father's death, and his
possible purpose, flooded her mind to the exclusion of all else.

In the dusk of the winter afternoon she was lying on the couch in her
dressing-room, lost in thought, when Ellen, tapping lightly at the
door, interrupted her reverie.

"The minister, Miss Anita--the Rev. Dr. Franklin--he is in the
drawing-room."

"Oh!" Anita gave a little movement of dismay. "Tell him that I am
suffering from a very severe headache, and gave orders that I was not
to be disturbed by anyone. He means well, Ellen, of course, but he
always depresses me horribly, lately. I don't feel like talking to him
this afternoon."

The maid retired, but returned again almost immediately with a
surprised, half-frightened expression on her usually stolid face.

"Please, Miss Anita, Dr. Franklin says he must see you and at once. He
seems to be excited and he won't take no for an answer."

"Ramon!" Anita cried, springing from the couch with swift apprehension.
"Something has happened to Ramon, and Dr. Franklin has come to tell me.
He may be injured, dead! Ah, God would not do