ng
Doris's tangle.

Doris! Again she swam into the foreground of his consciousness with a
vividness that made his senses tingle. He was sitting on a low chair,
lacing his shoes, and his fingers shook as he finished the task. He
dressed with almost frantic haste, urged on by a fear that, despite his
efforts, was shaping itself into a mental panic. Then, hair-brushes in
hand, he faced his familiar mirror, and recoiled with an exclamation.

Doris was not there, but her window was, and hanging from its center
catch was something bright that caught his eye and instantaneous
recognition.

It was a small Roman scarf, with a narrow, vivid stripe.

CHAPTER XII

DORIS TAKES A JOURNEY

Within five minutes he was in the studio building across the square,
frantically punching the elevator bell. Outwardly he showed no signs of
the anxiety that racked him, but presented to Sam, when that
appreciative youth stopped his elevator at the ground floor, the
sartorial perfection which Sam always vastly admired and sometimes
dreamed of imitating. But for such perfection Sam had no eyes to-day.

At this early hour--it was not much more than half-past eight--he had
brought down only two passengers, and no one but Laurie was waiting for
the upward journey. When the two tenants of the building had walked far
enough toward its front entrance to be out of ear-shot, Sam grasped
Laurie's arm and almost dragged him into the car. As he did so, he
hissed four words.

"She gone, Mist' Devon!"

"Gone! Where? When?"

Laurie had not expected this. He realized now that he should have done
so. His failure to take in the possibility of her going was part of his
infernal optimism, of his inability even now to take her situation at
its face-value. Sam was answering his questions:

"'Bout eight, jes' after Henry went and I come on. An aut'mobile stop in
front de do', an' dat man wid de eyes he come in. I try stop him fum
takin' de car, but he push me on one side an' order me up, like he was
Wilson hisself. So I took him to de top flo'. But when we got dere an'
he went to Miss Mayo's do', I jes' kep' de car right dere an' watch
him."

"Good boy! What happened?"

"He knock an' nuffin' happen. Den he call out, 'Doris, Doris,' jes' like
dat, an' she come an' talk to him; but she didn't open de do'."

"Could you hear what else he said?"

"No, sah. After dat he whisper to her, hissin' like a snake."

Laurie set his teeth. Even Sam felt the