Peter, would naturally use him for a model. The trouble was that,
with her gift of penetration and insight and her facility with her pen,
she had overdone the matter. She had not imitated Peter; she had BEEN
Peter. Marian arose suddenly.

She went home, locked the door, and one after another she read the
letters that had piqued, amused, comforted, and finally intrigued her.
They were brilliant letters, charming, appealing letters, and yet, with
knowledge concerning them, Marian wondered how she could have failed to
appreciate in the beginning that they were from Linda.

"It goes to prove," she said at last, "how hungry the human heart is for
love and sympathy. And that poor kid, what she must have suffered when
she went to Peter for help! And if, as Mr. Snow thinks, he cares for
her, how he must have suffered before he agreed to help her, as no doubt
he did. What I have to do is to find some way out of the situation that
will relieve Linda's anxiety and at least partially save my face. I
shall have to take a few days to work it out. Luckily I haven't answered
my last letter. When I find out what I really want to say then I will be
very careful how I say it. I don't just exactly relish having my letters
turned over to Peter Morrison, but possibly I can think of some way--I
must think of some way--to make them feel that I have not been any more
credulous than they."

While she thought, both Linda and Peter were doing much thinking on the
same subject. Linda's heart was full of gratitude to Peter for helping
her out of her very disagreeable situation. Peter had not yet opened the
packet of letters lying on his table He had a sickening distaste for the
whole transaction. He had thought that he would wait until he received
the first letter he was to answer. If it gave him sufficient foundation
in itself for the answer, he would not be forced to search further. He
had smoked many pipes on this decision. After the visit of Mr. Snow,
Peter had seen a great light and had decided, from the mood and the
attitude of that gentleman after his interview with Katy, that he very
likely would be equal to any complication that might arise when he
reached San Francisco. Mulling over the situation one day Peter said
reflectively to the spring which was very busy talking to him: "I am
morally certain that this matter has resolved itself into a situation
that closely resembles the bootblack's apple: 'they ain't goin' to be
any core.' I am