ackets of one
hundred each. I thought perhaps you--your husband would prefer it in
that form."

She nodded, and sat for a moment staring absently into the fire.

"This was Mr. Magnus' workroom, I suppose?" I said at last.

"Yes; when he was first really succeeding in business, he used always
to bring some work home with him in the evening. But he outgrew
that"--a shade of bitterness crept into her voice--"and during the
last ten years of his life he used the room hardly at all. But he is
using it again now," she added, in another tone. "Every night."

I stared across at her, wondering if she could be in earnest.
Certainly her countenance gave every impression of earnestness.

"He will be here to-night," she went on. "It is a little early yet. He
usually comes at eight-thirty."

"You mean he is here in the spirit," I said, trying to speak lightly.

"In the spirit, of course."

I breathed a sigh of relief. I fancied that I began to understand.

"Many people believe that their dead watch over them," I said.

"Oh, Mr. Magnus isn't watching over me," said my companion quickly.
"There is a certain thing he desires me to do. Once that is done, I
don't believe he will bother me any more. I left his note with you
this morning. Did you bring it with you?"

"Yes," I said, and got it out of my pocket and handed it to her.
"But really, Mrs. Magnus," I continued, "you don't mean to tell me
seriously that you saw him write this?"

"I certainly did. He wrote it under my eyes, sitting at that desk
three nights ago."

Again I looked at her to see if she was speaking seriously.

"I see you do not believe me," she added.

"Pardon me, Mrs. Magnus," I corrected; "of course I believe you--that
is, I believe that you believe. But I cannot but think you are being
imposed upon in some way."

A flush of anger crept into her cheeks.

"Do you think I am a woman easily imposed upon?" she asked. "Let me
tell you the story, Mr. Lester."

"That is what I have been hoping you would do," I said. "I am very
anxious to hear it."

"After my husband's death," she began, "I decided to use this room as
my office or workroom. I went through his desk and cleared it out.
There were no papers of importance there; but I found one thing
which gave me a shock. That was a letter, pushed back and I suppose
forgotten in one of the drawers, which proved to me that my husband
had been unfaithful."

I was not surprised, of course, after what Godfr