ouse, with probability of receiving belief? Alan
had not been thinking directly of Constance Sherrill, as he walked
swiftly north to the Drive; but she was, in a way, present in all his
thoughts. She had shown interest in him, or at least in the position
he was in, and sympathy; he had even begun to tell her about these
things when he had spoken to her of some event in Corvet's house which
had given him the name "_Miwaka_," and he had asked her if it was a
ship. And there could be no possible consequent peril to her in
telling her; the peril, if there was any, would be only to himself.

His step quickened. As he approached the Sherrill house, he saw
standing at the curb an open roadster with a liveried chauffeur; he had
seen that roadster, he recognized with a little start, in front of the
office building that morning when Constance had taken him down-town.
He turned into the walk and rang the bell.

The servant who opened the door knew him and seemed to accept his right
of entry to the house, for he drew back for Alan to enter. Alan went
into the hall and waited for the servant to follow. "Is Miss Sherrill
in?" he asked.

"I'll see, sir." The man disappeared. Alan, waiting, did not hear
Constance's voice in reply to the announcement of the servant, but
Spearman's vigorous tones. The servant returned. "Miss Sherrill will
see you in a minute, sir."

Through the wide doorway to the drawing-room, Alan could see the
smaller, portiered entrance to the room beyond--Sherrill's study. The
curtains parted, and Constance and Spearman came into this inner
doorway; they stood an instant there in talk. As Constance started
away, Spearman suddenly drew her back to him and kissed her. Alan's
shoulders spontaneously jerked back, and his hands clenched; he did not
look away and, as she approached, she became aware that he had seen.

She came to him, very quiet and very flushed; then she was quite pale
as she asked him, "You wanted me?"

He was white as she, and could not speak at once. "You told me last
night, Miss Sherrill," he said, "that the last thing that Mr. Corvet
did--the last that you know of--was to warn you against one of your
friends. Who was that?"

She flushed uneasily. "You mustn't attach any importance to that; I
didn't mean you to. There was no reason for what Mr. Corvet said,
except in Mr. Corvet's own mind. He had a quite unreasonable
animosity--"

"Against Mr. Spearman, you mean."

She d