lemma, Annie paced the floor nervously. "Oh, this is
awful!" she exclaimed. "What are we to do??"

She looked toward Alicia, as if expecting some suggestion from her, but
her companion was too much overwhelmed to take any initiative.

"It does stun one, doesn't it?" went on Annie. "You can't think when it
comes all of a sudden like this. It's just the way I felt the morning
they showed me Howard's confession."

"Prison! Prison!" wailed Alicia.

Annie tried to console her.

"Not for long," she said soothingly; "you can get bail. It's only a
matter of favor--Judge Brewster would get you out right away."

"Get me out!" cried Alicia distractedly. "My God! I can't go to prison!
I can't! That's too much. I've done nothing! Look--read this!" Handing
over Underwood's letter, she went on: "You can see for yourself. The
wretch frightened me into such a state of mind that I hardly knew what I
was doing--I went to his rooms to save him. That's the truth, I swear to
God! But do you suppose anybody will believe me on oath?
They'll--they'll----"

Almost hysterical, she no longer knew what she was saying or doing. She
collapsed utterly, and sinking down in a chair, gave way to a
passionate fit of sobbing. Annie tried to quiet her:

"Hush!" she said gently, "don't go on like that. Be brave. Perhaps it
won't be so bad as you think." She unfolded the letter Alicia had given
her and carefully read it through. When she had finished her face lit up
with joy. Enthusiastically she cried:

"This is great for Howard! What a blessing you didn't destroy it! What a
wretch, what a hound to write you like that! Poor soul, of course, you
went and begged him not to do it! I'd have gone myself, but I think I'd
have broken an umbrella over his head or something----Gee! these kind of
fellows breed trouble, don't they? Alive or dead, they breed trouble!
What can we do?"

Alicia rose. Her tears had disappeared. There was a look of fixed
resolve in her eyes.

"Howard must be cleared," she said, "and I must face it--alone!"

"You'll be alone all right," said Annie thoughtfully. "Mr. Jeffries will
do as much for you as he did for his son."

Noticing that her companion seemed hurt by her frankness, she changed
the topic.

"Honest to God!" she exclaimed, good-naturedly, "I'm
broken-hearted--I'll do anything to save you from this--this public
disgrace. I know what it means--I've had my dose of it. But this thing
has got to come out, hasn't it?"