odded, and looked out of the window. The light in the residence
district of the town was on a midnight schedule and was now cut off. He
turned back. A moment he stood so, silent, facing the girl there in the
dimly lighted hall. Under a sudden instinct he reached out and laid a
hand compellingly on each of her shoulders, holding her captive.

"You don't misunderstand my intruding here to-night, do you, Elice?" he
asked directly.

"Misunderstand!" The girl looked at him steadily, the dark circles about
her eyes eloquent. "Never. How can you fancy such a thing! Never."

"And you're willing to trust me to bring everything out right? It will be
all right, take my word for that."

Still the girl did not stir, but gazed at him. "Yes, I trust you
implicitly, always," she said.

A moment longer the hands held their place before they dropped.

"All right, then," he said perfunctorily, "go to bed. I'll take care of
Steve--to-night and in the future. Don't worry. Good-night."

"Wait," a hand was upon his arm, a compelling hand. "You mean--"

Roberts smiled deliberately, his slow, impersonal smile.

"Exactly what I said. This will be a lesson Steve should never forget. I
can't imagine his repeating it--ever. Besides, I'll help him not to. I
have a plan."

"You mean to help him as--as you helped Harry Randall and Margery?"

A moment the man was silent, though he smiled.

"No, not exactly. I'll merely assist him to help himself. I think perhaps
it's only my duty anyway, that maybe I'm more or less responsible. By the
way, don't be surprised if he disappears for a bit. He may possibly
decide to go out of town. That's all, for now."

The girl drew a long breath.

"You responsible!" she echoed. "If you're responsible, how, then,
about--myself?"

"Elice!" Roberts cut her off peremptorily. "I refuse to listen. Go to bed
at once, I insist. I'll come to-morrow and talk if you wish. Just now
it's all too near. Good-night again."

An instant later, on the darkened porch without, he had the arm of the
doddering old man in the grip of a vise.

"Leave everything here to me," he said swiftly, "and see to Elice." He
was leading the other toward the entrance. "Listen. See that she goes to
bed--at once; and you too. I'll attend to everything else. Trust me," and
very gently he himself closed the door behind the other two.

It was after office hours of the day following when Stephen Armstrong, a
bit pale but carefully groomed this