the baby."

"Baby!" The word burst out like a bomb. The man stood up. "Baby!" he
repeated. "You mean my--our baby?"

Molly swallowed and nodded.

"A little boy," she said, in a low voice.

"Where is he?" demanded the man.

"Please, please don't ask me, I beg of you. I want to forget----"

"But you can't forget you're married, that you've been the mother of a
child and--and--that I'm its father."

Molly's tears began to flow. Virginia had never seen a woman cry
before in all her young life. It was a most distressing sight.
Something within her leaped up and thundered at her brain. It ordered
her to venture out and aid the pretty woman if she could. Jinnie was
not an eavesdropper! She did not wish to hear any more. But fear kept
her crouched in her awkward position.

"I just want to forget if I can," Molly sobbed. "I don't know where
the baby is. That's why I want to forget. I can't find him."

"Can't find him? What do you mean by 'can't find him'?"

Molly faced about squarely, suddenly.

"I've asked you not to talk about it. I've been terribly unhappy and
so miserable.... It's only lately I've begun to be at all
reconciled."

"Nevertheless, I _will_ hear," snapped the man angrily. "I _will_
hear! Begin back from the letter you wrote me."

"Asking you to help me?" questioned the girl.

"Yes, asking me to help you, if you want to be blunt. Molly, it won't
make you any happier to hatch up old scores. I tell you I've come to
make amends--to take you--if you will----"

"And I repeat, I can't go with you!"

"We'll leave that discussion until later. Begin back where I told you
to."

Molly's face was very white, and her lids drooped wearily. Virginia
wanted so much to help her! She made a little uneasy movement under
the table, but Molly's tragic voice was speaking again.

"My father'd kill me if he knew about it, so I never told him or any
one."

"Including me," cut in the man sarcastically.

"You didn't care," said Molly with asperity.

"How do you know I didn't care? Did you tell me? Did you? Did I
know?"

Molly shook her head.

"Then I insist upon knowing now, this moment!"

"My father would have killed me----"

"Well!" His voice rushed in upon her hesitancy.

"When I couldn't stay home any longer, I went away to visit a cousin
of my mother's. At least, my father thought I'd gone there. I only
stayed with Bertha a little while and father never knew the truth of
it."

"And then after that