color came back.

"You'll do nothing of the kind," she said, and she had quite got hold of
herself again. "I do not want to see him: I hope you don't think, Kit,
that I came here to see James Wilson. Why, I have forgotten that there
IS such a person, and you know it."

Somebody upstairs laughed, and I was growing nervous. What if Aunt
Selina should come down, or Mr. Harbison come out of the den?

"Why DID you come, then, Bella?" I inquired. "He may come in."

"I was passing in the motor," she said, and I honestly think she hoped I
would believe her, "and I saw that am--" She stopped and began again.
"I thought Jim was out of town, and I came to see Takahiro," she said
brazenly. "He was devoted to me, and Evans is going to leave. I'll tell
you what to do, Kit. I'll go back to the dining room, and you send Taka
there. If any one comes, I can slip into the pantry."

"It's immoral," I protested. "It's immoral to steal your--"

"My own butler!" she broke in impatiently. "You're not usually so
scrupulous, Kit. Hurry! I hear that hateful Anne Brown."

So we slid back along the hall, and I rang for Takahiro. But no one
came.

"I think I ought to tell you, Bella," I said as we waited, and Bella was
staring around the room--"I think you ought to know that Miss Caruthers
is here."

Bella shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, thank goodness," she said, "I don't have to see her. The only
pleasant thing I remember about my year of married life is that I did
NOT meet Aunt Selina."

I rang again, but still there was no answer. And then it occurred to
me that the stillness below stairs was almost oppressive. Bella was
noticing things, too, for she began to fasten her veil again with a
malicious little smile.

"One of the things I remember my late husband saying," she observed,
"was that HE could manage this house, and had done it for years, with
flawless service. Stand on the bell, Kit."

I did. We stood there, with the table, just as it had been left, between
us, and waited for a response. Bella was growing impatient. She raised
her eyebrows (she is very handsome, Bella is) and flung out her chin as
if she had begun to enjoy the horrible situation.

I thought I heard a rattle of silver from the pantry just then, and I
hurried to the door in a rage. But the pantry was empty of servants and
full of dishes, and all the lights were out but one, which was burning
dimly. I could have sworn that I saw one of the servants duck into