rding Mrs. Maverick; she is a kind-hearted woman, and seems to
treat Lyle with consideration and some degree of affection; there is
very little of the latter, but perhaps it is all of which she is
capable, for I should think life with that brute would quickly crush
out all the affection, if not all the intelligence, in a woman's
nature; but the neglect and ill treatment of Maverick himself towards
Lyle surely indicate that she is no child of his."

"Your remark regarding Mrs. Maverick might be still more applicable to
him, that he is incapable of anything like affection or kindness."

"Of course he is," replied Miss Gladden quickly, "but I can not
conceive of a man being quite so low as to be without even animal
instincts; I cannot believe that a father would insult and degrade his
own daughter as he has Lyle, and as he would continue to do, if he
were not restrained through fear of his wife."

For the first time, Jack started. "Fear of his wife, did you say, Miss
Gladden? Pardon me, but I think that brute fears neither God, man nor
devil, and how you can assert that he is in fear of his wife, whom he
has always abused mercilessly, I cannot imagine."

"It is a fact, nevertheless; for one morning after he had been
exceedingly abusive and insulting in his language toward Lyle, Mrs.
Maverick told her that he was, in some way, in her power, and that it
should never occur again; and it never has."

Jack rose, and began to pace the room.

"Did you hear her say that, Miss Gladden?"

"No, Lyle told me of it."

"Had Lyle any idea of what she meant by it?"

"She did not seem to have; nothing was ever said regarding that phase
of the subject; she only seemed relieved that Mrs. Maverick promised
to prevent a repetition of her father's abuse of her."

Jack seated himself. "You spoke of some reasons on Lyle's part for
your conclusions; what were they?"

Miss Gladden then told him of Lyle's strange impressions and of her
dream, but made no allusion to the photograph, wishing to reserve that
until later.

Jack looked thoughtful. "I wonder that she has never spoken to me
regarding this dream," he said at length.

"She told me she had not had the dream so often since having been
occupied with her studies and reading, probably that accounts for her
not speaking of it; lately she says it has returned."

Both were silent for a while, then Miss Gladden asked:

"Do you not think these dreams and impressions are indications o