he spirit of old Echford Flagg in her.

When she was free from the crowd she began to run; instinct of the
homing sort impelled her to hasten. She had not settled in her mind what
she would say or do when she got there, but there seemed to be no other
place in all the world for her right then except the big house on the
ledges.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Lida did not wait to be admitted to her grandfather's house in the
conventional manner; she did not dare to test her new resolution by a
pause on the steps, and she was afraid that Rickety Dick would enforce
the Flagg injunction against a woman.

Gasping for breath after her run across the ledges, she flung herself
into the presence of her grandfather.

Dick was holding a flaming splint of wood to the bowl of Flagg's pipe.
Startled, he dropped the splint, and the fire burned out unheeded on the
bare floor.

She held on to the cap and the jacket and with her free hand she beat
upon her breast and tried to pour out a confession of her part in the
mischief which had been done. She could not tell Flagg who she was; she
was telling him what she was. She made herself a part of the Vose-Mern
conspiracy; that seemed to be the best way. She did not try to make
herself better than her associates; she admitted that she was an
operative; in no other way could she account for her presence in the
north country; and the old man's keen eyes warned her that a less
plausible statement would endanger her secret. Therefore, she arraigned
herself bitterly as the cause of Latisan's undoing, and to explain her
new attitude she pleaded love and resulting repentance. There seemed to
be no other way of giving Flagg a good reason why she was interested in
speeding the fortunes of Latisan and the Flagg drive.

She began to babble rather incoherently. His silence troubled her. His
gaze was intent.

After a time, allowing her to talk on, he ordered Dick to bring more
fire for the pipe, and then he puffed and listened a little longer.

At last he jabbed his pipe stem toward the door, and Dick obeyed the
silent command and left the room.

"Now, my girl, hold up a moment and get your breath. Sit down!" She
obeyed.

"I see that you're hanging on to Latisan's cap and jacket. Did he pull
himself out of the jacket whilst you were clinging to his collar?" In
spite of the seriousness of the news which she had brought to him, there
was a touch of dry humor in his tone. "He must have had a pretty