han Arthur Dillon would have felt and shown. Who can measure
the mind? Itself the measure of man's knowledge, the judge in the court
of human destiny, how feeble its power over itself! A few years back
this mind directed Horace Endicott; to-day it cheerfully served the
conscience of Arthur Dillon!

Edith and her husband awaited their executioner. The detective suffered
for her rather than himself. From Dillon he had nothing to fear, and for
his sake, also for the strange regard he had always kept for Curran's
wife, Arthur had been kind when harshness would have done more good. Now
the end had come for her and Sonia. As the unexpected usually came from
this young man, they had reason to feel apprehension. He took his seat
comfortably in the familiar chair, and lit his cigar while chaffing her.

"They who love the danger shall perish in it," he said for a beginning.
"You court it, Colette, and not very wisely."

"How, not wisely?" she asked with a pretence of boldness.

"You count on the good will of the people whom you annoy and wrong, and
yet you have never any good will to give them in return. You have hated
me and pursued me on the strength of my good will for you. It seems
never to have occurred to you to do me a good turn for the many I have
done for you. You are a bud of incarnate evil, Colette."

How she hated him when he talked in that fashion!

"Well, it's all settled. I have had the last talk with Livingstone, and
spoiled your last trick against the comfort of Arthur Dillon. There will
be no dragging to court of the Dillon clan. Mr. Livingstone believes
with me that the publicity would be too severe for Mrs. Endicott and her
family, not to mention the minor revelations connected with yourself. So
there's the end of your precious tomfoolery, Colette."

She burst into vehement tears.

"But you weep too soon," he protested. "I have saved you as usual from
yourself, but only to inflict my own punishment. Don't weep those
crocodile diamonds until you have heard your own sentence. Of course you
know that I have followed every step you took in this matter. You are
clever enough to have guessed that. You discovered all that was to be
discovered, of course. But you are too keen. If this trial had come to
pass you would have been on the witness stand, and the dogs would have
caught the scent then never to lose it. You would have ruined your
husband as well as yourself."

"Why do you let him talk to me so?" she s