at home, or not?" Grace paused before the door and
rapped sharply. There was a moment of silence, then a quick, light step
sounded inside and the door was opened by Kathleen herself. Her usually
pale face became flooded with color as she met the steady light of
Grace's scornful eyes. Rallying all her forces, she returned the
disconcerting gaze with one of defiant bravado. "Oh, good afternoon,"
she said, setting her lips in a straight line, a veritable danger
signal.

Without stopping to choose her words, Grace cried out: "How could you do
it? You knew I wished no mention to be made of my name. You promised not
to use it."

Kathleen eyed her with a contemptuous smile. "My dear Miss Harlowe, you
must be very obtuse to imagine even for an instant that I would spoil a
good story by writing only what you gave me permission to write. What do
you know of the requirements of my paper, or of the style in which a
story should be written? The story was too good to let pass. I knew,
though, that you would never consent to allowing me to use your name. So
I said 'Very well,' and used it. 'Very well' can hardly be construed as
a promise."

The smiling insolence of the other girl's manner was almost too much for
Grace's self-control. Twice she essayed to speak, but the words would
not come. When she did find her voice she was dimly surprised at its
tense evenness.

"Miss West, I made clear to you in the beginning my reason for not
wishing you to use my name in connection with what occurred in Oakdale
or in any other story you might write. I gave you the news I had
stumbled upon willingly. Why could you not have written a clever,
interesting story without betraying my confidence?"

"Don't attempt to take me to task for not living up to some ridiculous
standard of yours," returned Kathleen savagely. "If you did not wish to
see yourself in print, you were extremely silly to tell your tale to a
representative of the press. To gather news for my paper is my business.
Do you understand? I shall use whatever information comes my way, unless
some good reason arises for not using it."

"As in the case of your Christmas story last year, which you decided at
the last moment not to send," supplemented Grace with quiet contempt.

Kathleen did not reply. Grace's remark had struck home. She had not
forgotten her treacherous attempt to spoil Arline's and Grace's
Christmas plans of the year before.

"Even in the face of last year I did not