an to hurt you--"

She stopped speaking, and the pain in his heart reached hers.

"Floyd," she cried again, "is there anything the matter with--with--"

"Hush, Fledra darling, little wife, will you be brave for my sake and
for the sake of--her?"

His eyes were still full of tears as he touched the bundle on the bed.

"But my babies!" moaned Mrs. Vandecar. "If there isn't anything the
matter with my babies--"

"I want to speak to you about our children, Dear."

"They are dead?" Mrs. Vandecar asked dully. "My babies are dead?"

At first Vandecar could scarcely trust himself to speak; but, curbing
his emotion with an effort, he answered, "No, no; but gone for a little
while."

His arms were tightly about her, and time and again he pressed his lips
to hers.

"Gone where?" she demanded.

"Fledra, you must not look that way! Listen to me, and I will tell you
about it. I promise, Fledra. Don't, don't! You must not shake so!
Please! Then you do not trust me to bring them back to you?"

His last appeal brought the tense arms more limply about his neck. She
had believed him absolutely when he said they were not dead.

"Am I to have them tonight?"

"No, dear love."

"Where are they gone?"

"The cradles were empty after little Mildred--"

"They have been gone for--for three weeks!" she wailed. "Floyd, who took
them? Were they kidnapped? Have you had any letters asking for money?"

Vandecar shook his head.

"And no one has come to the house? Tell me, Floyd! I can't bear it!
Someone has taken my babies!"

She raised herself on her arm wildly, fever brightening the anguished
eyes. The husband with bowed head remained praying for them and
especially for her. Another cry from the wounded mother aroused him.

"Floyd, they have been taken for something besides money. Tell me,
Dearest! Don't you know?"

Faithfully he told her that he could think of no human being who would
deal him a blow like this; that he had thought his life over from
beginning to end, but no new truth came out of his mental search.

"Then they want money! Oh, you will pay anything they demand! Floyd,
will they torture my baby boy and girl? Will they?"

"Fledra, beloved heart," groaned Vandecar, "please don't struggle like
that! You'll be very ill. I promised you that you should have them back
some day soon, very soon. Fledra, sweet wife, you still have the baby
and me--and Katherine."

"I want my little children! I want my boy and girl!"