with these meetings, even as spectators,
filled him with angry disgust.

According to Britt, the girl was a self-deluded fakir at the best--at
the worst, an habitual, hysterical trickster, avid for notoriety. In
either case a tainted, leprous thing--a woman to be shunned by every
man who valued a dignified and wholesome life. It was worse than folly
to permit such a creature to break in on his work, to draw his mind
from his reading; nevertheless she continued to do both these things.

The next morning, as he was leaving the house for his office, he
stepped into the dining-room and took a seat by his sister's side.

"Kate," he said, and his voice was stern, "you must not call upon Miss
Lambert."

"Why not, Morton?"

"Because it would prove a snare to you and an embarrassment to me. She
is a singularly attractive girl. No one can face her and accuse her.
Britt says she is much more mature than when I saw her; and by that he
meant to convey that she had grown clever, if not tricky. There is a
bad streak in her, I'm afraid, for all her charm, and you would better
let her entirely alone. Upon the most charitable construction she is
hysterical, and her deception probably arises, as Britt says, from a
diseased brain. In any case she is not a fit person for you to meet."

"But you said she has good eyes?"

"She has. She is bewitchingly pretty, but that only makes her case the
more perplexing. Why trouble ourselves about her?"

"I'm going to call upon her, anyway. I'm not afraid. I am wild to see
a girl who can upset you so completely. You are upset; I can see
that."

Morton laughed, rather sadly. "That's a fine, womanly reason, and may
be sufficient for you; but, if you go, understand, Kate, it is against
my wish. I do not care to know anything more about her and her
problems; she has interfered too much with my work already."

She looked deep into his soul, then took another tack. "Well, then,
bring on this man Britt; he's the only witness for the prosecution,
isn't he? Let's have him to dinner. I want to interrogate him, as the
lawyers say. I want to know what kind of a man he is before I take his
word against a girl who rejected him. He may be only jaundiced."

"He was their family physician."

"I don't care if he was, he may be seeking revenge on the girl." She
put her arm about his neck. "You poor boy, that girl's troubles have
upset you. I'm delighted to find you so humanly romantic--at least I
would be i