t definitely," he said, "but the amounts always corresponded
exactly with the royalties from the books. I strongly suspect that they
constitute this private account of Miss Eileen's."

But he did not say that she had tried to draw it the day previous.

John Gilman made the suggestion that they should let the matter rest
until Eileen explained about it. Then Linda spoke very quietly, but with
considerable finality in her tone.

"No," she said, "I know that Eileen HAD no source of private income.
Mother used to mention that she had some wealthy relatives in San
Francisco, but they didn't approve of her marriage to what they called
a 'poor doctor,' and she would never accept, or allow us to accept,
anything from them. They never came to see us and we never went to see
them. Eileen knows no more about them than I do. We will work upon the
supposition that everything that is here belonged to Father. Set aside
to Eileen's credit the usual amount for housekeeping expenses. Turn the
private account in with the remainder. Start two new bank books, one for
Eileen and one for me. Divide the surplus each month exactly in halves.
And I believe this is the proper time for the bank to turn over to me
a certain key, specified by my father as having been left in your
possession to be delivered to me on my coming of age."

With the key in her possession, Linda and John Gilman left the bank. As
they stood for a moment in front of the building, Gilman removed his hat
and ran his hands through his hair as if it were irritating his head.

"Linda," he said in a deeply wistful tone, "I don't understand this. Why
shouldn't Eileen have come today as she agreed? What is there about this
that is not according to law and honor and the plain, simple rights of
the case?"

"I don't know," said Linda; "but there is something we don't understand
about it. And I am going to ask you, John, as my guardian, closing up my
affairs today, to go home with me to be present when I open the little
hidden door I found at the back of a library shelf when I was disposing
of Daddy's technical books. There was a slip of paper at the edge of it
specifying that the key was in possession of the Consolidated Bank and
was to be delivered to me, in the event of Daddy's passing, on my coming
of age. I have the key, but I would like to have you with me, and Eileen
if she is in the house, when I open that door. I don't know what is
behind it, but there's a certain feeling