no doubt term--crazy. I am going
to run away--to some new place, where, for awhile, no one will know
whether I am the rich Madame Christopher Forsyth or the poor Mrs. John
Smith. Oh, I shall be quite safe; at my bank they will be able to find
me if anything happens. Norris has had entire charge of the mills for a
long time. And Budge and Harkness can take care of things here."

"Madame," the lawyer was moved out of his customary reserve, "are you
not possibly running away from what may bring you happiness--and
comfort?"

For the space of a moment the real heart of the woman shone in her eyes.

"I _am_ running away. I might learn to love this boy and he might not be
what the head of the house of Forsyth _should_ be and I would have to
send him back. And my heart has been torn enough. It is tired. I have a
whim to find new places--new things--to rest--and forget all this."

There was an interval of silence. Then Mr. Allendyce, lifting his eyes
from the patent-leather tips of his shoes, said quietly:

"I will carry out your commands to the best of my ability."

There followed, then, a great deal of discussion over details. And,
while carefully jotting figures and memoranda in a neat, morocco bound
note-book, the little man of law felt as though he were writing the
opening chapters of some fairy-tale.

Yet there was little of the fairy-tale in the old, empty house, a
melancholy house in spite of its wealth of treasure, brought from every
country on the globe. And there was nothing of romance in the Forsyth
family which had come over to Connecticut from England in the early days
of its settlement and had left to all the Forsyths to come, not only the
beginnings of the Forsyth factory where thread was made by the millions
of spools, and the Forsyth fortune, amassed by those same spools, but
also a deal of that courage which had helped those pioneers endure the
hardships and meet the obstacles of the early days.

Her business at an end, Madame expressed embarrassment at her
inhospitality in denying Mr. Allendyce his cup of tea. Would he not stay
and dine with her? Mr. Allendyce did not in the least desire to dine
alone with his client but the Wassumsic Inn was an uninviting place and
New York was a three hours' ride away. So he accepted with a polite show
of pleasure and assured Madame that he could amuse himself in the
library while she dressed for dinner.

Left to himself, the lawyer fell to pacing the velvety lengt