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As it chanced, she did not turn The hall door opened--the head behind the settee sank down again Jack Bailey entered, carrying a couple of logs of firewood

Dale s have gone awfully wrong, haven't they?" she said with a little break in her voice

He put his finger to his lips

"Be careful!" he whispered He glanced about the room cautiously

"I don't trust even the furniture in this house to-night!" he said He took Dale hungrily in his arms and kissed her once, swiftly, on the lips Then they parted--his voice changed to the formal voice of a servant

"Miss Van Gorder wishes the fire kept burning," he announced, with a whispered "Play up!" to Dale

Dale caught hisat once

"Put sos on the fire, please," she said loudly, for the benefit of any listening ears Then in an undertone to Bailey, "Jack--I'm nearly distracted!"

Bailey threw his wood on the fire, which received it with appreciative crackles and sputterings Then again, for a moment, he clasped his sweetheart closely to hily "We've got a fight ahead of us!"

He released her and turned back toward the fire

"These old-fashioned fireplaces eat up a lot of wood," he said in casual tones, pretending to arrange the logs with the poker so the fire would draw more cleanly

But Dale felt that she aain

"You knohy I sent for Richard Flely on her lover The rest of the world ht interpret her action as it pleased--she couldn't bear to have Jack er of that His faith in her was too coratitude Then his mind reverted to the ever-present problem before the before the fire

"You don't think it was--Billy?" Dale saw Billy's face before her for a moment, calht be just as calm, just as impassive while his hands were still red with blood She shuddered at the thought

Bailey considered theupstairs," he said finally "But--I've been all over the upper floors"

"And--nothing?" breathed Dale

"Nothing" Bailey's voice had an accent of dour finality "Dale, do you think that--" he began

Soirl that they were not to continue their conversation uninterrupted "Be careful!" she breathed, as footsteps sounded in the hall Bailey nodded and turned back to his pretense ofthe fire Dale moved away from him slowly