special correspondent of a New York paper. They had a short
colloquy, the newspaper man looking frequently toward No. 9, and finally
they turned and went down Manniston Road.

Bristow, leaving his chair to go back to the sleeping porch, saw Miss
Kelly come out of No. 5 and hurry in his direction. He waited for her.

"Miss Fulton wants to see you, Mr. Bristow," said the nurse. "She asked
me to tell you it's very important."

He was frankly surprised.

"Wants to see me, Miss Kelly?"

"Yes; at once, if you can come."

"Why, certainly."

He stepped into the house and got his hat.

"How is Miss Fulton?" he inquired, descending the steps with Miss Kelly.

"Much better. In fact, she seemed in good spirits and fairly strong as
soon as her father and Mr. Withers left. That was about half an hour
ago."

"Perhaps, their departure helped her," he suggested, smiling. "Often
one's family is annoying--we may love them, but we want them at a lovable
distance."

She gave him an approving smile.

"What about the medicine?" he asked as they reached the door. "Has she
had much bromide--stuff like that?"

"No; not today. Her mind's perfectly clear."

He put one more question:

"Do you happen to know why she wishes to see me?"

"I think it's something about her brother-in-law, Mr. Withers."

"Ah! I wonder whether----"

He did not finish the sentence, but, stepping into the living room,
waited for Miss Kelly to announce his arrival.

The quick mechanism of his mind informed him that he was about to be
confronted with some totally unexpected situation.

CHAPTER XVII

MISS FULTON'S REVELATION

Prepared as he was for surprise, his emotion, when he was ushered into
Miss Fulton's room, was little short of amazement. The girl was
transformed. Instead of a spoiled child, with petulant expression, he
beheld a calm, well controlled woman who greeted him cordially with a
smile. Overnight, it seemed, she had developed into maturity.

Wearing a simple, pale blue negligee, and propped up in bed, as she had
been the day before, she had now in her attitude nothing of the weakness
she had shown during his former interview with her. For the first time,
he saw that she was a handsome woman, and it was no longer hard for him
to realize why Braceway had been in love with her. He waited for her to
explain why he had been summoned.

"I've taken affairs into my own hands--that is, my affairs," she said.
"There's something yo