then, if she distrusted him, that must be because she feared he
was on her stepfather's side, and if it seemed to her that who was
on his side was of necessity an object of suspicion to herself, then
there could be no such bond of dread and guilt between them as any
guilty knowledge on her part of Wright's death would involve.

The substantial proof this exercise in logic appeared to afford of
Ella's innocence brought him much comfort, but did not lighten his
sense of apprehension and unrest, for he thought that in this
situation in which he found himself his doubts of Ella had merely
been turned into doubts on Ella's part of himself, and that the one
was just as likely as the other to end disastrously.

"Though I don't know what I can do," he muttered as he stood in his
attic, "if I gain Deede Dawson's confidence I lose Ella's, and if
I win Ella's, Deede Dawson will at once suspect me."

He went over to the window and looked out, supporting himself on his
elbows, and gazing moodily into the darkness.

As he stood there a faint sound came softly to his ear through the
stillness of the quiet night in which nothing stirred.

He listened, and heard it again. Beyond doubt some one was stirring
in the garden below, moving about there very cautiously and carefully,
and at once Dunn glided from the room and down the stairs with all
that extraordinary lightness of tread and agility of movement of
which his heavy body and clumsy-looking build gave so small promise.

He had not been living so many days in the house without having