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But Dale could bear it no longer The sight of her lover, beaten, sub obediently like a common criminal for the detective to lock his wrists in steel broke down her last defenses She rushed into the center of the room, between Bailey and the detective, her eyes ith terror, her words stuet the!" she cried frenziedly "He got to the foot of the stair-case--Richard Fle the detective now, "and he had the blue-print you've been talking about I had told hiardener and he said if I screamed he would tell that I was desperate I threatened him with the revolver but he took it from me Then when I tore the blue-print from him--he was shot--frorily

"I didn't even knoas in the house!" Bailey's ansas as instant as it was hot Meanwhile, the Doctor had entered the room, hardly noticed, in thethe scene intently from a post by the door

"What did you do with the blue-print?" The detective's voice beat at Dale like a whip

"I put it first in the neck of my dress--" she faltered "Then, when I found you atching me, I hid it somewhere else"

Her eyes fell on the Doctor She saw his hand steal out toward the knob of the door Was he going to run away on soh of relief when Billy, re-entering with the key to the front door, blocked any such attempt at escape

Mechanically she watched Billy cross to the table, lay the key upon it, and return to the hall without so lance at the tense, suspicious circle of faces focused upon herself and her lover

"I put it--so back to the Doctor

"Did you give it to Bailey?"

"No--I hid it--and then I told where it was--to the Doctor--" Dale swayed on her feet All turned surprisedly toward the Doctor Miss Cornelia rose froly "That's rather inaccurate," he said, with a tight little smile "You told me where you had placed it, but when I went to look for it, it was gone"

"Are you quite sure of that?" queried Miss Cornelia acidly

"Absolutely," he said He ignored the rest of the party, addressing himself directly to Anderson