to
Hartmann, and since to follow Seltz to the latter's office would avail
him nothing, he decided to precede him there.

During the drive, he began to formulate a plan, daring in its
conception, extremely dangerous in its execution, yet one which, if
carried out with courage and determination, promised success. He was
perfecting in his mind the details of this plan when the carriage turned
into the driveway at Dr. Hartmann's.

So occupied had he become with his thoughts that he failed to observe
the figure of Grace, standing behind the maid in the open doorway; she
disappeared into the reception-room before he had alighted from the cab.
He went up to the servant, assumed an air of dignified assurance, and
announced that he wished to see Dr. Hartmann at once.

The maid ushered him in, glanced into the parlor, observed Grace sitting
there, apparently reading, and then throwing open the door to the left
which gave admittance to the doctor's office, bade Duvall enter. The
latter stepped in at once, without looking into the room across the
hall. Had he done so, he would have observed his wife, whom he fully
supposed to be quietly waiting for him in Paris, rise from her chair
with a frightened face and start impulsively toward him.

For a moment Grace was on the point of calling out--she wanted to let
Richard know that she was there. She wanted to see him--to talk to him,
to realize the happiness of being once again in his presence. It had
been, since their parting the day before, her constant thought. Then she
suddenly realized that Monsieur Lefevre had warned her not to appear to
recognize her husband, should she meet him in the course of her
adventures. The thought checked her--she paused at the door of the
reception-room and glanced down the hall.

The servant who had admitted Duvall had disappeared toward the rear of
the house. Everything about her seemed quiet. She started across the
hall, determined to enter the room into which Richard had just vanished,
when she heard the sound of rapid footsteps approaching her. With a
start she turned and again entered the parlor, assuming a careless
manner she by no means felt.

She had scarcely seated herself in the chair by the fire, and opened her
book, when she saw Dr. Hartmann appear in the hall and enter the door
which led to the outer office.

Grace was undecided as to what she should do next. Her safest course,
she ultimately concluded, was to do nothing. She remai