he tops of the wrists instead of upon the inner sides; saw, too, that
these cuffs were made fast to a wide leather belt, which in an unbroken
band encircled the girl's trunk, so that her prisoned forearms were
pressed in and confined closely against her body at the line of her
waist. Her elbows she might move slightly and her fingers freely; but
the hands were held well apart and the fingers in play might touch only
the face of the broad girthing, which presumably was made fast by
buckles or lacings at her back. As if the better to indicate how firmly
she was secured, the wearer of these strange bonds flexed her arm
muscles slightly; the result was a little creaking sound as the harness
answered the strain. Then the girl relaxed and the sound ended.

"Oh, you poor child!" The gasped exclamation came involuntarily,
carrying all the deeper burden of compassion because it was uttered in a
half whisper. Quickly she snugged the cloak in to cover the ugly thing
she had looked upon. "What have you done that you should be treated so?"

Indignation was in the asking--that and an incredulous disbelief that
here had been any wrongdoing.

"It isn't what I've done--exactly. I imagine it is their fear of what
they think I might do if my hands were free."

"But where are you going? Where are these people taking you? You're no
criminal. I know you're not. You couldn't be!"

"I am being taken to a place up the road to be confined as a dangerous
lunatic."

In the accenting of the words was no trace of rebellion or even of
self-pity, but merely there was the dead weight and numbness of a
hopeless resignation to make the words sound flat and listless.

"I don't believe one word of it!" exclaimed Miss Smith, then broke off
short, realizing that the shock of the girl's piteous admission had sent
her own voice lifting and that now she had a second listener. The woman
diagonally across from her was sitting bolt upright and a pair of small
eyes were narrowing upon her in a squint of watchful and hostile
suspicion. Instantly she stood up--a small, competent, determined body.

"I'll be back," she stated, disregarding the elder woman and speaking to
the younger. "And I'm going to find out more about you, too, before I'm
done."

Her step, departing, was brisk and resolute.

In the aisle near the forward door she encountered the flagman.

"There is a man in the smoker I must see at once," she said. "Will you
please go in there and find h