ld not ask it."

Faith looked from one to the other and clenched her fingers
convulsively. It seemed cruel to her to thus wound the feelings of
another.

"I would rather not tell, please, Mr. Denton," she began.

"Then I must insist," said the gentleman, "for, as I said, the matter is
serious."

"If you insist, I must obey," said Faith, in some bewilderment; "but I
beg you will forgive me for saying that your son sent me the candy."

Before the words were fairly out Mr. Denton was pale with horror. The
shock was so great that he shuddered as he looked at her.

"My son," he whispered, hoarsely. "Is that true, Miss Marvin? Is my son
one of the rascals who annoy the young women under my protection? Is
he--"

He could get no farther--his feelings overcame him.

"I am afraid he is," said Faith, very faintly, "for I have given him no
right to be sending me presents."

Mr. Denton leaned back in his chair with one hand to his brow. The
detective's ruse in covering the candy had produced results as startling
as they were suspicious.

If Faith had known of the poison in the candy no power could have
induced her to tell what she had, but up to the present she was in total
ignorance of the matter, and it was now Mr. Denton's turn to dread the
next disclosures.

"My dear child," he said at last; "I have something to tell
you--something that will shock you even more than your news shocks me;
it is this, your box of candy to-day was poisoned."

Faith stared at him stupidly for the space of a second, then the full
situation dawned slowly upon her. "If that is the case, your son did not
send it, Mr. Denton!" she cried in decided accents, "for although he is
thoughtless and careless of others, he would shrink from doing such a
deed as that, even though he had a motive, which he certainly hasn't!"

"I believe you," said Mr. Denton, in a tone of relief. "Whoever sent the
candy is making my son the scapegoat! You say there was no writing on
the package when you got it, young man, and no message or card when you
opened it in the lunch-room?"

"I can vouch for that," said Tyler, as the boy shook his head. "I was
watching the boy when he opened the candy."

"Have you any enemies in the store that you know of, Miss Marvin--any
one who is aware that my son has sent you candy?"

Mr. Denton had turned toward Faith as he asked the question.

"More enemies than friends, I am afraid, sir," was the answer, "for
although I have tr