iss Holladay is suffering
from some form of dementia--perhaps only acute primary dementia, which
is usually merely temporary--but which may easily grow serious, and
even become permanent."

The theory had occurred to me, and I saw from the expression of Mr.
Royce's face that he, also, had thought of it.

"Is there no way that we can make sure?" he asked. "She may need to
be saved from herself."

"She may need it very badly," agreed the doctor, nodding. "Yet, she is
of legal age, and absolute mistress of her actions. There are no
relatives to interfere--no intimate friends, even, that I know of. I
see no way unless you, as her legal adviser, apply to the authorities
for an inquest of lunacy."

But Mr. Royce made an instant gesture of repugnance.

"Oh, that's absurd!" he cried. "We have no possible reason to take
such action. It would offend her mortally."

"No doubt," assented the other. "So I fear that at present nothing can
be done--things will just have to take their course till something
more decided happens."

"There's no tendency to mental disease in the family?" inquired Mr.
Royce, after a moment.

"Not the slightest," said the doctor emphatically. "Her father and
mother were both sound and well-balanced. I know the history of the
family through three generations, and there's no hint of any taint.
Twenty-five years ago Holladay, who was then just working to the top
in Wall Street, drove himself too hard--it was when the market went
all to pieces over that Central Pacific deal--and had a touch of
apoplexia. It was just a touch, but I made him take a long vacation,
which he spent abroad with his wife. It was then, by the way, that his
daughter was born. Since then he has been careful, and has never been
bothered with a recurrence of the trouble. In fact, that's the only
illness in the least serious I ever knew him to have."

There was nothing more to be said, and we turned to go.

"If there are any further developments," added the doctor, as he
opened the door, "will you let me know? You may count upon me, if I
can be of any assistance."

"Certainly," answered our junior. "You're very kind, sir," and we went
back to our cab.

The week that followed was a perplexing one for me, and a miserable
one for Royce. As I know now, he had written her half a dozen times,
and had received not a single word of answer. For myself, I had
discovered one more development of the mystery. On the day following
the deli