efore a situation like this he felt
lost and foolish.

"Certainly he must know in time. I shall tell him myself, as soon as I
make my report of the failure of this clue to my employers. I would take
it as a very great favor if you would permit me to tell him. It must
come very bitter to a mother to tell her son that he is suspected of not
being her son. Let me spare you that anguish."

Anne played with him delightfully, knowing that she had him at her
mercy, not forgetting however that the sport was with tigers. Persuaded
to wait a few days while Curran made his report, in return he promised
to inform her of the finding of poor Endicott at the proper moment. The
detective bowed himself out, the lady smiled. A fair day's work! She had
learned the name and the history of the young man known as Arthur Dillon
in a most delightful way. The doubt attached to this conclusion did not
disturb her. Wonderful, that Arthur Dillon should look so little like
the portrait of Horace Endicott! More wonderful still that she, knowing
Arthur was not her son, had come to think of him, to feel towards him,
and to act accordingly, as her son! Her rage over this attempt upon the
truth and the fact of their relationship grew to proportions.

CHAPTER XXX.

UNDER THE EYES OF HATE.

Edith's inference from the interviews with the Monsignor and Anne did
justice to her acuteness. The priest alone knew the true personality of
Arthur. From Anne all but the fact of his disappearance had been kept,
probably to guard against just such attempts as Curran's. The detective
reminded her that her theory stood only because of her method of
selection from his investigations. Nine facts opposed and one favored
her contention: therefore nine were shelved, leaving one to support the
edifice of her instincts or her suspicions. She stuck out her tongue at
him.

"It shows how you are failing when nine out of ten facts, gathered in a
whole day's work, are worthless. Isn't that one fact, that the priest
knew Horace Endicott, worth all your foolish reasonings? Who discovered
it? Now, will you coax Sonia Endicott down here to have a look at this
Arthur Dillon? Before we start for California?"

He admitted humbly that the lady would not accept his invitation,
without stern evidence of a valuable clue. The detectives had given her
many a useless journey.

"She'll be at the Everett House to-morrow early in the morning," said
Edith proudly. "Want to know why