more readily as she watched the affairs of the church, and
understood how surely they were upsetting to her sister through her
belief in the old Indian legend of the fateful pine.

But Kate's occasional outbursts of delirious excitement were far more
difficult of understanding. Helen read them in the only way she
understood. Her observation warned her that they generally followed
talk of the doings of Inspector Fyles, or a distant view of him.

As the days went by Kate seemed more and more wrapped up in the work
of the police. Every little item of news of them she hungrily
devoured. And frequently she went out on long solitary rides, which
Helen concluded were for the purpose of interested observation of
their doings.

But all this display of interest was somewhat nullified by another
curious phase in her sister. It quickly became obvious that she was
endeavoring by every artifice to avoid coming into actual contact with
Stanley Fyles. Somehow this did not seem to fit in with Helen's idea
of love, and again she found herself at a loss.

Thus poor Helen found herself passing many troubled hours. Things
seemed to be going peculiarly awry, and, for the life of her, she
could not follow their trend with any certainty of whither it was
leading. Even Bill was worse than of no assistance to her. Whenever
she poured out her long list of anxieties to him, he assumed a
perfectly absurd air of caution and denial that left her laboring
under the belief that he really was "one big fool," or else he knew
something, and had the audacity to keep it from her. In Bill's case,
however, the truth was he felt he had blundered so much already in his
brother's interests that he was not prepared to take any more chances,
even with Helen.

Then came one memorable and painful day for Helen. It was a Saturday
morning. She had just returned from a church committee meeting. Kate
had deliberately absented herself from her post as honorary secretary
ever since the decision to fell the old pine had been arrived at. It
was her method of protest against the outrage. But Mrs. John Day,
quite undisturbed, had appointed a fresh secretary, and Kate's
defection had been allowed to pass as a matter of no great importance.

The noon meal was on the table when Helen came in. Kate was at her
little bureau writing. The moment her sister entered the room she
closed the desk and locked it. Helen saw the action and almost
listlessly remarked upon it.

"It'