a matter of fact, always know when Harvey heard from Mrs. Abbott? A
foolish question, probably; for if the correspondence were meant to be
secret, it would be addressed to Harvey at his club, not to the house.
All the same, a desire of years concentrated itself in this moment.
Alma wished vehemently to read one of Mary Abbott's letters with her
own eyes.

She turned the envelope. It was of very stout paper, and did not look
quite securely gummed. Would not a touch of the finger--almost----?
Why, there, just as she thought; a mere touch, and the envelope came
open. 'Now, if I ever wrote a dangerous word,' mused Alma--'which I
don't, and never shall--this would be a lesson to me.'

Well, it was open, and, naturally enough, the letter came forth. What
harm? There could be nothing in it that Harvey would wish to hide from
her. So, with hands that trembled, and cheeks that felt warm, she began
to read.

The letter was Mrs. Abbott's acknowledgment of the quarterly cheque she
received from Rolfe. Alma was surprised at the mention of money in the
first line, and read eagerly on. As Mary Abbott and her friend had seen
each other so recently, there was no need of a full report concerning
Minnie Wager (her brother had long since gone to a boarding-school),
but the wording allowed it to be understood that Harvey paid for the
child, and, what was more, that he held himself responsible for her
future. What could this mean? Alma pondered it in astonishment;
gratified by the discovery, but disturbed beyond measure by its
mysterious suggestiveness. The letter contained little more, merely
saying, towards the end, how very glad the writer would be to give her
utmost care to little Hugh when presently he came into her hands. Last
of all--'Please remember me kindly to Mrs. Rolfe.'

At this point of her life Alma had become habitually suspicious of any
relation between man and woman which might suggest, however remotely,
dubious possibilities. Innocence appeared to her the exception,
lawlessness the rule, where man and woman were restrained by no obvious
barriers. It was the natural result of her experience, of her
companionship, of the thoughts she deliberately fostered. Having read
the letter twice, having mused upon it, she leaped to a conclusion
which seemed to explain completely the peculiar intimacy subsisting
between Harvey and Mary Abbott. These two children, known as Albert and
Minnie Wager, were Harvey's offspring, the result