oint of law?" she
muttered, angrily. "Some more of that carpenter's doings, I suppose."

She sat for some time absorbed in thought; but finally her face cleared,
and rising she rang the bell.

The housemaid answered it almost immediately.

"Tell James to put the horses back into the carriage as quickly as
possible, as I have forgotten something and must go immediately to the
city again," she commanded, as she rearranged her wrap.

In less than ten minutes she was on her way, not back to the city, but
to call upon an intimate friend in Eden Park.

CHAPTER IX.

VIOLET BECOMES A PRISONER.

Mrs. Alexander Hartley Hawley, as she was always particular to write her
name, was much the same type of a woman as Mrs. Mencke, but with the
advantage of not possessing such an exceedingly high temper.

She was more suave and insinuating in her manner, and where she had a
difficult object to attain she always strove to win by strategy rather
than to antagonize her opponents by attempting to drive.

She also was intensely proud and tenacious of caste--a leader in society
and a great stickler regarding outward appearance.

In the old days, when Mrs. Mencke had so offended against upper-tendom
by eloping with the poor clerk in her father's employ, Mrs. Hawley had
dropped her from her extensive list of acquaintances; but after Mr.
Huntington's death, when the young couple came into possession of a
handsome inheritance, the former friendship was renewed and their
intimacy, if anything, had been closer than during their youthful days.

To this friend and ally, who resided among the glories of Eden Park,
Mrs. Mencke now repaired to ask her advice regarding what course to
pursue with Violet in her present unmanageable mood.

She frankly confided everything to her, and concluded her revelation by
remarking, with an anxious brow:

"I am at my wits' end, Althea, and have come to ask your help in this
emergency."

"Certainly, Belle, I will do all in my power to help you," Mrs. Hawley
replied, eagerly, for she dearly loved to exercise her diplomatic
talents, "but I fear that will not be much, for we have decided, quite
suddenly, to sail for Europe the tenth of next month."

"Yes, I learned of your plans to-day through Mrs. Rider, and when Violet
got upon her stilts, on my return from my calls, it suddenly occurred to
me that perhaps if the matter was rightly managed and you would not mind
the care for a while, she would acc