op! I won't listen. Not to a word."

"You will! You must!" There was no passion now either in words or looks,
only a set determination to be heard.

Try as she would, Helen could not stop the explanation he offered, the
palliation of his sins past and to come. Even as he had said, she was
compelled to listen, but there was no softening of her eyes, no change
in the set, hard face.

"You and I cannot stay any longer in this office. You will go or I."
Elijah made as if to speak. "Stop!" Her voice was imperative. "I would
be justified in leaving everything, but I began this wretched business
and at whatever cost to myself, I will see it through."

Elijah felt the hopelessness of further words. Like one in a horrible
dream, he turned to his desk and began to straighten his papers.

"I will attend to that. Go!"

Without a word or look, Elijah closed the office door behind him.

It required all Helen's fortitude to control herself. She attempted no
self-palliation, she put this aside. She had been innocent of
intentional wrong doing, but this made no difference. The fact was
beyond recall. Only the future was hers in which to make atonement at
whatever cost to herself.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Uncle Sid and Winston, after leaving the office, went toward the Rio
Vista. Winston was the first to break the silence. He spoke musingly.

"Helen doesn't absolutely know whether Elijah got that money or not. If
she had known certainly, she would have told us. But she suspects that
he got it and used it, or at least a part of it. There are only two who
do know surely, Mellin and Elijah. Mellin has a strong hold on Elijah,
or he couldn't have got that note from him. Elijah drew the money,
converted it to his own use, and Mellin knows it and is making Elijah
pay him to keep quiet."

"Well!" Uncle Sid stopped abruptly and thrust his walking stick into the
sand. "Well!" he repeated, "what are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to hunt Mellin down and make him give up." Winston's jaws
set.

Uncle Sid smiled grimly.

"Well, young man, I'm all-fired rejoiced that you ain't a-huntin' me.
I'm goin' a-huntin' too."

At the Rio Vista they parted. Uncle Sid stumped up to the hotel office.

"Say, senner," he was addressing the clerk, "Mrs. MacGregor ain't been
sighted yet, has she?"

The clerk smiled affably.

"Not yet, Captain. Expect her to make port today. Any messages?"

"Yes, plenty, but I'll deliver 'em myself."