don't doubt your work is
full of trying incidents."

"Oh, it isn't my work," the girl replied, as he assisted her into the
car. "I love my work. But there are other things." She glanced toward
her mother with a tired smile, then sank back upon the cushions.

A moment later they were whirling toward the city.

CHAPTER VI

Duvall's ride back to town with Mrs. Morton and Ruth was quite
uneventful. The latter, as she had explained, was ill, weak, indisposed
to talk. Duvall and Mrs. Morton kept up a brisk conversation upon topics
of the day, but both knew that it was of the girl they were thinking,
and their interest in the subjects they discussed was clearly forced.
Both were glad when the car at last stopped before the apartment
building, and the long ride was over.

Mrs. Morton invited Duvall to come in and dine with them, and he
promptly accepted. Ruth seemed indifferent. Assisted by her maid, she
left the car and on reaching the apartment, at once went to her room.

"You will excuse me, I know," she said to Duvall. "I am tired out, and
think I had better lie down at once. Nora will bring me some dinner,"
she said, turning to her mother.

Duvall and Mrs. Morton ate their dinner in silence. Some sense of
oppression, of impending evil, hung over them both. Mrs. Morton left the
table toward the close of the meal, and went to her daughter's room.
With the solicitude of the typical mother she arranged the windows. That
opening to the fire escape she raised to its full height. The one facing
upon the court she left as it was, raised some six or eight inches.
Then, having kissed her daughter good night, she returned to the
library, where Duvall sat smoking a cigar.

"Ruth has gone to bed," she told him. "Both the windows in her room are
open, the one on the fire-escape wide, the other partly raised."

Duvall looked at her with an expression of doubt.

"I think it would be better, for the present," he said, "to close and
fasten the one opening on the fire escape. We cannot tell to what danger
your daughter may be exposed."

Mrs. Morton rose and left the room.

"I will do as you advise," she said. Going to Ruth's bedroom she closed
and fastened the window in question, then she went back to the library.

"Have you hit upon any theory to account for the sending of these
letters?" she asked.

Duvall shook his head. "The whole thing is very mysterious," he said.
"Of course it was easy enough for anyone to le