ctor."

He telephoned for Doctor Bronson.

An hour later Lane, coming upstairs from his meal, met the physician
at Rose's door. He looked strangely at Lane and shook his head.

"Daren, how is it I find you here in this place?"

"Beggars can't be choosers," answered Lane, with his old frank smile.

"Humph!" exclaimed the doctor, gruffly.

"How about the girl?" asked Lane.

"She's in bad shape," replied Bronson.... "Lane, are you aware of her
condition?"

"Why, she's ill--that's all I know," replied Lane, slowly. "Rose
didn't tell me what ailed her. I just found out she was here."

Doctor Bronson looked at Lane. "Too bad you didn't find out sooner.
I'll call again to-day and see her.... And say, Daren, you look all in
yourself."

"Never mind me, Doctor. It's mighty good of you to look after Rose. I
know you've more patients than you can take care of. Rose has nothing
and her father's a poor devil. But I'll pay you."

"Never mind about money," rejoined Bronson, turning to go.

Lane could learn little from Rose. Questions seemed to make her
shrink, so Lane refrained from them and tried to cheer her. The
landlady had taken a sudden liking to Lane which evinced itself in her
change of attitude toward Rose, and she was communicative. She
informed Lane that the girl had been there about two months; that her
father had made her work till she dropped. Old Clymer had often
brought men to the hotel to drink and gamble, and to the girl's credit
she had avoided them.

For several days Doctor Bronson came twice daily to see Rose. He made
little comment upon her condition, except to state that she had
developed peritonitis, and he was not hopeful. Soon Rose took a turn
for the worse. The doctor came to Lane's room and told him the girl
would not have the strength to go through with her ordeal. Lane was so
shocked he could not speak. Dr. Bronson's shoulders sagged a little,
an unusual thing for him. "I'm sorry, Daren," he said. "I know you
wanted to help the poor girl out of this. But too late. I can ease her
pain, and that's all."

Strangely shaken and frightened Lane lay down in the dark. The
partition between his room and Rose's might as well have been paper
for all the sound it deadened. He could have escaped that, but he
wanted to be near her.... And he listened to Rose's moans in the
darkness. Lane shuddered there, helpless, suffering, realizing. Then
the foreboding silence became more dreadful than any sound....