gine why she would keep after us,"
objected Dorothy. "I am sure if she had anything to do with the ring she
would be glad of a chance to get out of the store. Dear, I fancy every one
is looking at me!" as some one turned at the sound of Dorothy's voice. "It
must be awful to be tempted and actually do wrong."

"It is," replied Tavia, and Dorothy wondered how she would know enough
about such things to speak as decidedly as she had spoken.

CHAPTER VII

THE HAUNTED WOODS

That night Dorothy Dale retired to her own cozy little room with her head
swathed in cooling cloths. The excitement of the day had cost her more
than mere experience and an unexplainable interest in the pale little
woman in black.

When the whole matter had been discussed, Major Dale was naturally
indignant, and declared in plain terms that the unwarranted zeal some
detectives evinced in trying to convict supposed wrongdoers without
sufficient evidence would some day bring these selfsame sleuths into
serious trouble.

Mrs. White, too, was annoyed and anxious. Dorothy was not the type of girl
who would soon forget her experience. The boys, even to little Roger,
declared the whole thing an outrage, and they wanted to go right to town
and tell somebody so.

But Dorothy tried to make the best of it, and said her head would be all
right after a night's rest.

"If you are really better, Doro," whispered Roger, kissing her good-night,
"we may go to Tanglewood Park for the Christmas tree. Nat promised we
could--and then perhaps we will see Tavia's ghost."

"Tavia's ghost?" repeated his sister. "Oh, you mean the ghost Tavia was
telling us about. Well, I am sure to be better, and then we may have a
chance to prove that there is absolutely no such thing in this world as
ghosts," and with a fond embrace Dorothy dismissed the boy with the yellow
hair, so like her own, and eyes just as blue. Surely Roger and Dorothy
belonged to the Dales, while Joe, with his dark, rich coloring, was like
the other branch of their family.

It was not an easy matter, however, for Dorothy to actually get to sleep
that night. So many thoughts crowded her brain: Tavia was acting queerly
about something, and it was perfectly plain to everybody she wanted to
talk to Nat alone, directly after the evening meal. Tavia was not a silly
girl--she would never risk such criticism if something quite serious did
not make it necessary. Then how that woman in black looked at Tavia whe