sed an almost childish
wonder; and Sir Richard, who had been watching her uneasily, rose from
his seat and patted her shoulder reassuringly.

"There, there, don't distress yourself, my dear!" His tone was fatherly.
"After all, we only want to clear up this mystery for your sake. I
daresay Anstice would be quite willing to let the matter drop if he
alone were concerned----"

"Ah! I had forgotten that!" She turned to him with contrition in her
blue eyes. "Dr. Anstice, please forgive me! In my selfishness I was
quite forgetting that you were a victim of this unknown person's spite!
Of course the matter must be sifted to the very bottom; and if Tochatti
is indeed guilty she must be punished."

"I think you are quite right, Chloe." Sir Richard spoke with unexpected
decision. "For all our sakes the matter must be cleared up. You see"--he
hesitated--"there are others to be considered besides ourselves."

"My husband, for one," said Chloe unexpectedly. "I heard from him this
morning--he is back in England again now."

"Mrs. Carstairs"--Anstice, feeling desperately uncomfortable, broke into
the conversation abruptly--"may I go upstairs and say good-night to
Cherry? You know I got into serious trouble for not going up the last
time I was here."

She turned to him, smiling.

"Of course you may, Dr. Anstice. I know Cherry would be heart-broken to
hear you had gone without seeing her. You know the way?"

"Yes, thanks." He had grown familiar with the house during the weeks of
Cherry's illness. "I won't stay long--and I'll not wake her if she's
asleep."

She was not asleep, however; and her face lighted with pleasure as
Anstice stole quietly in.

"Oh, do come in, my dear!" She sat up in bed, a quaint little figure
with two thick brown plaits, tied with cherry-coloured ribbons, over her
shoulders. "I'm just about fed up with this stupid old bed!"

She thumped her pillows resentfully; and Anstice, coming up, sat down
beside her, and beat up the offending pillows with the mock professional
touch which Cherry adored.

"That better, eh?"

"Rather!" She leaned back luxuriously. "Wasn't it a shame sending me to
bed to-day? And I hadn't really done nothing!" The intensity of the
speech called for the double negation.

"Well, I don't know what you call nothing," returned Anstice, smiling.
"Apparently you'd given poor Tochatti a terrible fright----"

"Serve her right," said Cherry placidly. "She shouldn't have been so
silly