She's feared," continued Lucindy, "'cause she knows _she_ done gib dat
chile fever takin' him to dem low-down nigger shanties she's allus
visitin' at. Dat's what Lila's feared ob."

"She took the _baby_ to--?" It was Ted who tried to question Lucindy.
Sheila could not, though she had opened her dry lips for indignant
speech.

"Yassah, she sho did--jes befo' he was took sick. She taken him to 'er
no 'count yaller sister's--an' 'er sister's chillun's got scarlet
fever. I heared it dis mornin'."

"Are you sure, Lucindy? Are you _sure_?" It was still Ted who pursued
the inquiry.

"Deed I'se sho, Marse Ted. She tole me herse'f whar she'd been when
she come back wid de baby, an' 'bout how cute an' sweet dey all say he
is. Course she didn't know 'bout de fever--it hadn' showed up on dem
chillun yit--but she knowed mighty well Miss Sheila wouldn' want our
baby in nigger houses _no-how_. She knowed she was doin' wrong takin'
him. I sho did go fo' dat yaller gal, too! She wouldn' never do it no
mo'--not while Lucindy's a-livin'!"

Ted turned to Sheila, and the expression of her white face startled
him. Much as he loved her, his heart hardened to her as he
looked--hardened with a sudden, instinctive suspicion--and when he
spoke, his voice was stern:

"Did you know where Lila was taking the baby when she had him out?" he
asked. "Sheila, did you know?"

CHAPTER X

"Sheila, did you know?" repeated Ted.

Sheila shook her head. Lila had had orders never to take Eric out of
the yard without permission. She had risked the disobedience, only too
sure of her mistress's absorption. For Lila knew the secret of those
afternoons; she had not been a confidante, but she had been a witness.
Sheila realized all this now, as she faced Ted across the crib of their
little stricken son. She realized that she had not known where Eric
was because she had been engrossed in her work--and that not to have
known, as things had come to pass, was criminal.

"Oh, how could it have happened?" cried Ted. And looking into Sheila's
tortured face, sternness vanished from his eyes for an instant, and
love and grief yearned toward her from them instead. In that instant
speech came to Sheila and the truth rushed out of her.

"It happened because--because I was up in my room and didn't overlook
Lila. It happened because I was up in my room, _writing a story_!"

It was as if she had bared her breast to a sword--and he could not