the morning he lay. About five, the storm outside
having died away, the gray light began showing faintly at the window
edges, and with the coming of the dawn the soul of the man gripped him
and demanded an accounting. "Was this the way he helped?" he asked
himself, accusingly.

By chairs and desk, for his strength was spent, he reached a small
cabinet, and, finding a certain powder, took one, and, after a little
while, another. Then he felt his pulse, timing it by the watch as he did
so. Satisfied, he crossed the room to a safe, and with uncertain hands
placed package after package of papers on the desk in careful order.
Last, from an inner compartment, he took one labelled "Ravenel," and
stood looking at it with speculative eyes.

The case was so complete. Quantrelle and his brother, a cure of Dieppe,
of known integrity, had sworn themselves as witnesses, through an open
window, of Madame de Nemours' marriage. But what of it? Katrine could
never marry a man with a disputed name! Still looking at the bundle, he
struck a match. It flared up, sputtered, and went out, as though giving
him time for second thought. Resolutely he lighted another, set the
flame to the papers for a second time, and in an instant whatever
trouble they contained for Frank Ravenel was nothing but smoke in the
chimney.

"God forgive me!" he cried, as he sat down to write the following
letter:

DEAR RAVENEL,--You will remember, I said in my last interview that
the matter upon which we spoke could not be fully proven until I
received further letters from France. They have come, and I hasten
to write you that the marriage we spoke of was not a legal one, the
witness, Quantrelle Le Rouge, being a great liar. It is thoroughly
proven. Pray give yourself no more anxiety on the subject, and
forgive me for doing what my duty prompted me to do. The thing is
completely by with as far as I am concerned, and I have burned all
of the papers relative to the matter. With best wishes for your
complete restoration to health, I remain,

Sincerely yours,
DERMOTT MCDERMOTT.

He folded the letter and sealed it, a curious smile upon his lips as he
did so. Afterward he began looking over securities and making a list of
them in steady, fine writing for the work in the day to come.

About eight he went to his hotel, bathed, dressed himself for the day,
and neither of the facts that his heart was breaking,