ively insulting to Weeks. It's made a lot
of trouble for him."

He looked at his watch, then turned to the servant.

"Go upstairs and make the rooms comfortable for Miss Mercer at once," he
said. "It's getting late." Then he turned to the men who had accompanied
him to the _Columbia_. "It's all right, boys," he said. "You
needn't wait."

"These people keep their ears entirely too wide open," he explained to
Eleanor. "I have to be rather careful with them, though they probably
wouldn't understand much if they did hear. Well, that is about all I've
got to tell you, anyhow. You see, you needn't worry about your friend
Zara. As to Bessie--Well, that's different."

He looked at Bessie malevolently.

"I don't think I care to tell you anything more about her," he said.
"Weeks will look after her all right--as well as she deserves to be
looked after."

Bessie seemed to be nervous as he looked at her, and edged away from
him.

"If you think you can keep Bessie in the care of that man Weeks," said
Eleanor, "you are going to find yourself decidedly mistaken. He won't
treat her properly, and if he doesn't, the courts won't compel her to
stay there. I know enough law for that, and I tell you now, that, even
though you may have some sort of law on your side just now, because you
have played this trick, you won't be able to count on the law much
longer. It will be as powerful against you, properly used, as it has
been for you, improperly used."

"Oh!" Holmes laughed, unpleasantly. There was no mirth in the laugh,
only mockery and contempt. "Really, Miss Mercer--why, where has that
little baggage gone to?"

He stared wildly about the room, and Eleanor, startled, looked about her
also. Bessie had disappeared; vanished into thin air. In a rage, Holmes
darted here and there about the great hall of the house in which they
had been standing. But, though he looked behind curtains and all the
larger pieces of furniture, and made a great fuss, he found no sign of
her. For a moment he was completely baffled, and almost beside himself
with rage.

"I always thought villains were clever," said Dolly, as he stood still.
Her voice was scornful. "Why, even a girl like Bessie can fool you!
She's done it plenty of times before now--you didn't think you could
keep her from doing it this time, too, did you?"

"What do you mean!" stormed Holmes, moving toward her, his hand raised
as if he meant to strike her. But if he thought he could frig