unlikely thing happened!" Marion made a decisive
gesture with her clenched fingers. "Thus, the inquiry, beginning with
two consistent elements, now comes up against one that is inconsistent."

"But not impossible," said the man.

"Possible," said Marion, "but not likely. Not to be expected, not in
line with the preponderance of common experience; therefore, not to
be passed. We have got to stop here and try to find out why this track
spread under a slow train."

"But we see it spread, Miss Warfield," said the trackman with a
conclusive gesture.

"True," replied Marion, "we see that it did spread, under this
condition, but why?"

The old woman sitting beside the track seemed to realize what was
under way; for she rose and came over to where I stood. "Contessa," she
whispered, in those quaint, old world words, "do not reveal, what I have
tol'. I pray you!"

And she followed me across the few steps to where the others stood.

I did not answer. I stood like one in some Hellenic drama, between
two tragic figures. The love of woman lay in the solution of this
problem--in the beginning and at the end of life.

Marion and the big track boss continued with this woman looking on.

I feared to speak or move; the thing was like a sort of trap, set with
ghastly cunning, by some evil Fate. The ruin of a woman it would have.
And perhaps on the vast level plain where it evilly dwelt, through
its hard all-seeing eyes, the ruin and the sorrow either way would be
precisely equal. How could I, then, lay a finger on the scale.

"Now," said Marion, "when the engine reached this point on the track,
one of the rails gave way first."

The big workman looked steadily at her.

"How do you know that, Miss Warfield?" he said.

"Because," replied Marion, "the marks of the wheels of the locomotive
on the ties are found, in the beginning, only on one side of the track,
showing that the rail on that side gave way, when the engine struck it,
and the other rail for some distance bore the weight of the train."

She illustrated with her hands.

"When the one rail was pushed out, the wheels on that side went down and
continued on the ties, while the wheels on the other side went ahead on
the firm rail."

The workman saw it.

"That's true, Miss Warfield," he said, "one rail sometimes spreads and
the other holds solid."

Marion was absorbed in the problem.

"But why should the one rail give way like this and its companion hold?"

"O