going on with the book. I just happened to have a photograph--" The
look in his eyes stopped her.

"Please don't," he said.

She took the card he held out to her, glanced at it, and choked back
a spasm of hysterical laughter. For it wasn't a picture of Aunt
Caroline, or even of a departed Spence--it was a picture of Dr. John
Rogers!

"Gracious!" said Desire. There seemed to be nothing else to say.
"Well," she ventured after a perplexed pause, "you can see that I
couldn't be crying over John, can't you?"

"I can see--no need why you should;" said Benis slowly. "I'm afraid
I have been very blind."

The girl's complete bewilderment at this was plain to anyone of
unbiased judgment. But Spence's judgment was not at present
unbiased. He went on painfully.

"I owe you an apology for my very primitive method of obtaining your
confidence. But it is better that I should know--"

"Know what? You don't know. I don't know myself. I did not even know
whose the photograph was until--" She hesitated at the look of hurt
wonder in his eyes. "You think I am lying?" she finished angrily.

"I think you are making things unnecessarily difficult. There is no
need for you to explain--anything."