surf, her
soft laughter under the roses on the moon-lit balcony.

That--all of it--was forever ended. But he believed that the pallid
northern phantom of the past was still left to him; supposed that now,
at least, they might miserably consider themselves beyond peril.

But what man supposes of woman is vain imagining; and in that shadowy
neutral ground which lies between martyrdom and sin no maid dwells for
very long before she crosses one frontier or the other.

When he descended the stairs once more he found Portlaw, surrounded by
the contents of the mail-sack, and in a very bad temper, while Malcourt
stood warming his back at the blazing birch-logs, and gazing rather
stupidly at a folded telegram in his hands.

"Well, Hamil--damn it all! What do you think of that!" demanded Portlaw,
turning to Hamil as he entered the room; and unheeding Malcourt's
instinctive gesture of caution which he gave, not comprehending why he
gave it, Portlaw went on, fairly pouting out his irritation:

"In that bally mail-sack which Louis brought in from Pride's Fall
there's a telegram from your friend, Neville Cardross; and why the devil
he wants Louis to come to New York on the jump--"

"I have a small balance at the Shoshone Trust," said Malcourt. "Do you
suppose there's anything queer about the company?"

Hamil shook his head, looking curiously at Malcourt.

"Well, what on earth do you think Cardross wants with you?" demanded
Portlaw. "Read that telegram again."

Again Malcourt's instinct seemed to warn him to silence. All the same,
with a glance at Hamil, he unfolded the bit of yellow paper and read:

"LOUIS MALCOURT,
"Superintendent Luckless Lake,
"Adirondacks.

"Your presence is required at my office in the Shoshone
Securities Building on a matter of most serious and instant
importance. Telegraph what train you can catch. Mr. Carrick will
meet you on the train at Albany.

"NEVILLE CARDROSS.
"Answer Paid."

"Well, what the devil does it mean?" demanded Portlaw peevishly. "I
can't spare you now. How can I? Here's Hamil all ready for you to take
him about and show him what I want to have done--"

"I wonder what it means," mused Malcourt. "Maybe there's something wrong
with the Tressilvain end of the family. The Shoshone Securities people
manage her investments here--"

"The way to do is to wire and find out," grumbled Portlaw, leading the