seemed as cool and calm as if she had been safely back
on Plum Beach.

"It's only too easy to understand," said Eleanor, bitterly. "Charlie was
deceived in his friend, Mr. Trenwith. He's just as easy to bribe as Jake
Hoover. That's all. He cares more for money and success than he does for
his reputation as an honorable man. I'm disappointed in him--but I
suppose I ought not to be surprised."

"Well, I _am_ surprised," said Dolly, defiantly. "And I'm sure,
somehow, that he's all right. I think he was just as badly fooled as the
rest of us. Mr. Holmes probably wants us to think as badly of him as
possible, so that, if he should try to help us, we wouldn't trust him."

"I wish I could believe that, Dolly. But the evidence against him is too
strong, I'm afraid. Hush, we mustn't talk. Here is Mr. Holmes coming
back. I don't want him to think that we're afraid--it would please him
too much."

With Mr. Holmes, as he came toward them, was a woman in servant's garb,
middle aged, and sour in her appearance.

"This woman will attend to you, Miss Mercer," he said. "She will do
whatever you tell her--unless it should happen to conflict with the
orders she has from me. But she won't talk to you about me, or about
this place because she knows that if she does I will find out about it,
and she will have reason to regret it."

"I'm very much pleased by one thing, Mr. Holmes," said Eleanor. "You've
shown yourself in your true colors at last. I suppose you understand
that when I get back to the city I shall see to it that everyone knows
the truth about you. I don't think you will find yourself welcome in the
homes of any decent people after I tell what I know."

"I'm sorry, Miss Mercer," he said. "Of course you must do what you think
best. But it really won't do any good. I could do things a great deal
worse than this, and still, with the money I happen to have, people
would keep on fawning on me, and pestering me with their attentions and
their invitations as much as ever."

"Perhaps you're right, but I intend to find out. May I ask how long you
intend to keep me here as a prisoner?"

"You are my guest, Miss Mercer, not my prisoner. Please don't act as if
I were as great a villain as that. Losing your temper will not improve
matters in any way, you know--really it won't. As for your question, I
think Bessie and Zara will be in the quite competent care of their old
friend Silas Weeks by noon to-morrow and then there will be no