fe with this letter, had not
John been in the heart of his battle at the shops. For the present he
had enough trouble. And yet, to see that woman with John, an angel
might be deceived. To see her weep and laugh over him, to see her
touch him with her hands, to caress him with her eyes, to be tender
and strong at his side. ... Could anybody be so wicked? True, her
transgression had been made, according to this letter, before John had
married her; but this lessened the enormity of it none in Patty's
eyes.

"Oh, I was so happy, and now I am so miserable!" murmured the girl,
pressing her hand to her throat, which seemed to stifle her.

She read the letter again, through blurred vision. It was horrible.

One who takes a deep interest in your future welfare finds it a duty
to warn you against Richard Warrington, for whom it is being said you
have developed a strong sentiment. It is well known that he drank
deeply at one time and lived the life of a debauchee. Beware of the
woman, also, whom you call sister. The writer does not offer anything
detrimental to her married life, but it is known that she was
practically Warrington's mistress before she married your splendid
brother. She was seen frequently to enter his apartments at night, and
the writer can furnish abundant proof that she was seen to leave his
apartments one morning. This is not penned with malice. It is simply
that the writer knows and admires you and can not stand passively by
and see you humiliated by the attentions of a man who is unworthy to
lace your shoes. As for your sister-in-law, I have no desire to
meddle. Confront both her and Warrington, if the truth of the above
statement is doubted by you.

Upon these last words depended Patty's attitude. It must be true.
Whoever had written this abominable letter could write plain English,
despite the disguised hand. Patty recognized that it was disguised.
The capitals differed, so did the tails of the y's and f's; the
backhand slant was not always slanting, but frequently leaned toward
the opposite angle. She had but to confront them! It seemed simple;
but to bring herself to act upon it! She reviewed all the meetings
between Kate and Warrington. Never had her eyes discerned evidence of
anything other than frank good fellowship. She searched painfully;
there was not a single glance, a single smile upon which she could
build a guilty alliance. And yet this writer affirmed ... Oh, it was
monstrous! Those rumors