surface, and she knew there were lovable traits in Mr. Jones' nature
if he could only be induced to display them.




CHAPTER XXII

THE CONFESSION


After that evening the man attached himself to the party on every
possible occasion. Sometimes in their trips around Coronado he rode
in their automobile, at other times he took Myrtle, and perhaps one
other, in his own car. Every day he seemed brighter and more cheerful,
until even Major Doyle admitted he was not a bad companion.

Three weeks later they moved up to Los Angeles, taking two days for
the trip and stopping at Riverside and Redlands on the way. They
established their headquarters at one of the handsome Los Angeles
hotels and from there made little journeys through the surrounding
country, the garden spot of Southern California. One day they went to
Pasadena, which boasts more splendid residences than any city of its
size in the world; at another time they visited Hollywood, famed as
"the Paradise of Flowers." Both mountains and sea were within easy
reach, and there was so much to do that the time passed all too
swiftly.

It was on their return from such a day's outing that Myrtle met with
her life's greatest surprise. Indeed, the surprise was shared by all