as deeply as he is. I'll wait for you
down here."

When the doctor entered the bedroom and looked into the faces of
the culprits, he laughed brokenly. Two children, who had been
caught in the jam-closet: ingratiating smiles, back of which lay
doubt and fear.

Ruth came to him directly. "You are angry?"

"Very. You don't realize what you have done."

"My courage gave out. The thought of going back!--the thought of
the unknown out there!--" with a tragic gesture toward the east. "I
couldn't go on!"

"You'll need something more than courage now. But no more of that.
What is done cannot be undone. I want to talk to Mr. Spurlock. Will
you leave us for a few minutes?"

"You are not going to be harsh?"

"I wish to talk about the future."

"Very well."

She departed reluctantly. The doctor walked over to the bed, folded
his arms across his chest and stared down into the unabashed eyes
of his patient.

"Do you realize that you are several kinds of a damned scoundrel?"
he began. This did not affect Spurlock. "Your name is Spurlock?"

"It is."

"Why did you use the name of Taber?"

"To keep my real name out of the mess I expected to make of myself
over here."

"That's frank enough," the doctor admitted astonishedly. So far the
boy's mind was clear. "But to drag this innocent child into the
muck! With her head full of book nonsense--love stories and fairy
stories! Have you any idea of the tragedy she is bound to stumble
upon some day? I don't care about you. The world is known to you. I
can see that you were somebody, in another day. But this child! ...
It's a damnable business!"

"I shall defend her and protect her with every drop of blood in my
body!" replied the Flagellant.

The intensity of the eyes and the defiant tone bewildered the
doctor, who found his well-constructed jeremiad without a platform.
So he was forced to shift and proceed at another angle, forgetting
his promise to McClintock to be temperate.

"When I went through your trunk that first night, I discovered an
envelope filled with manuscripts. Later, at the bottom of that
envelope I found a letter."

"To be opened in case of my death," added Spurlock. From under his
pillow he dragged forth the key to the trunk. "Here, take this and
get the letter and open and read it. Would you tell her ... now?"
his eyes flaming with mockery.

CHAPTER XVIII

The doctor reached for the key and studied it sombrely. The act was
mechanical, a bi