I b'lieve I'll go out to the barn; I
think the fresh air----"

"Do you feel well enough to go out?" she asked. "You do seem to be
all right, though."

"Yes, I'm a lot better, I think." He limped to the door. "The
fresh air will be the best thing for me."

She did not notice that he carelessly retained her contributions
to the game, and he reached his studio with them in his hand.
Hedrick had entered the 'teens and he was a reader: things in his
head might have dismayed a Borgia.

No remotest glimpse entered that head of the enormity of what he
did. To put an end to his punishing of Cora, and, to render him
powerless against that habitual and natural enemy, Laura had
revealed a horrible incident in his career--it had become a public
scandal; he was the sport of fools; and it might be months before
the thing was lived down. Now he had the means, as he believed, to
even the score with both sisters at a stroke. To him it was
turning a tremendous and properly scathing joke upon them. He did
not hesitate.

* * *

That evening, as Richard Lindley sat at dinner with his mother,
Joe Varden temporarily abandoned his attendance at the table to
answer the front doorbell. Upon his return, he remarked:

"Messenger-boy mus' been in big hurry. Wouldn' wait till I git to
door."

"What was it?" asked Richard.

"Boy with package. Least, I reckon it were a boy. Call' back from
the front walk, say he couldn' wait. Say he lef' package in
vestibule."

"What sort of a package?"

"Middle-size kind o' big package."

"Why don't you see what it is, Richard?" Mrs. Lindley asked of her
son. "Bring it to the table, Joe."

When it was brought, Richard looked at the superscription with
surprise. The wrapper was of heavy brown paper, and upon it a
sheet of white notepaper had been pasted, with the address:

"Richard Lindley, Esq.,
1218 Corliss Street."

"It's from Laura Madison," he said, staring at this writing.
"What in the world would Laura be sending me?"

"You might possibly learn by opening it," suggested his mother.
"I've seen men puzzle over the outside of things quite as often as
women. Laura Madison is a nice girl." She never volunteered
similar praise of Laura Madison's sister. Mrs. Lindley had
submitted to her son's plans concerning Cora, lately confided; but
her submission lacked resignation.

"It's a book," said Richard, even more puzzled, as he took the
ledger from its wrappings. "Two