towards the Ryder mansion, which she knew
well by sight.

There was one other person in New York who, that same morning, had
read the newspaper item regarding the Ryder-Roberts betrothal, and
he did not take the matter so calmly as Shirley had done. On the
contrary, it had the effect of putting him into a violent rage.
This was Jefferson. He was working in his studio when he read it
and five minutes later he was tearing up-town to seek the author
of it. He understood its object, of course; they wanted to force
his hand, to shame him into this marriage, to so entangle him with
the girl that no other alternative would be possible to an
honourable man. It was a despicable trick and he had no doubt that
his father was at the back of it. So his mind now was fully made
up. He would go away at once where they could not make his life a
burden with this odious marriage which was fast becoming a
nightmare to him. He would close up his studio and leave
immediately for Europe. He would show his father once for all that
he was a man and expected to be treated as one.

He wondered what Shirley was doing. Where had she gone, what was
this mysterious work of which she had spoken? He only realized
now, when she seemed entirely beyond his reach, how much he loved
her and how empty his life would be without her. He would know no
happiness until she was his wife. Her words on the porch did not
discourage him. Under the circumstances he could not expect her to
have said anything else. She could not marry into John Ryder's
family with such a charge hanging over her own father's head, but,
later, when the trial was over, no matter how it turned out, he
would go to her again and ask her to be his wife.

On arriving home the first person he saw was the ubiquitous Mr.
Bagley, who stood at the top of the first staircase giving some
letters to the butler. Jefferson cornered him at once, holding out
the newspaper containing the offending paragraph.

"Say, Bagley," he cried, "what does this mean? Is this any of your
doing?"

The English secretary gave his employer's son a haughty stare, and
then, without deigning to reply or even to glance at the
newspaper, continued his instructions to the servant:

"Here, Jorkins, get stamps for all these letters and see they are
mailed at once. They are very important."

"Very good, sir."

The man took the letters and disappeared, while Jefferson,
impatient, repeated his question:

"My doing?" s