"Late yesterday evening," he went on, "I received information that a child resembling Dorothy, and accompanied by a lady whose face was veiled, were seen entering a certain residence out near the park," explained Rutley, continuing. "I beg you to understand that I entertain a deep interest in the fate of the child, and since the river has not yielded up its secret, and the voice of scandal is rife in innuendoes, I immediately set out to investigate. "Unsuccessful, I had passed along the road and was returning, no doubt at higher speed than justified by the darkness of the night. Absorbed in meditation, I must have temporarily been negligent of proper vigilance, when to my horror, the form of a man suddenly loomed up a few paces directly ahead." "Dear me, how unfortunate!" exclaimed Mrs. Harris, shivering. "Impossible to stop the swift moving machine, in the short space that separated us, I swerved to the right. "At that moment the man must have discovered me, for he, too, sprang to the right. The impact was inevitable. I hastened to the unfortunate one's assistance, and you may appreciate my amazement when I recognized my friend, your own relative. Of course, I conveyed him home at once." "How very good of you," said Hazel, with admiring eyes. "We shall never be able sufficiently to thank your lordship," added Mrs. Harris, "and we hope that our dear boy will not expose himself to so great a danger again." As to what Sam thought of the explanation, he kept silent; nevertheless he turned half around and would have whistled significantly had he not at that moment checked himself, for fear of again embarrassing his aunt. It was at this moment Virginia entered the room, insistently ushered in by Mr. Harris, who, profuse in politeness, said: "Please do me the honor to be seated, for I know you must be fatigued." But Virginia, on discovering Rutley, seemed to be suddenly overcome with a timidity quite foreign to her usual self-possession, and shrank away as if to leave the room. Observing her evident embarrassment and, of course, ignorant of the true cause, Mr. Harris concluded she had conceived him as declining her request, and he at once, in a confidential whisper, attempted to reassure her. "I can accommodate you with a check for five thousand today, and more in a week." "Oh, I--I thank you very much," she replied, and though her nervousness was apparent, she managed to control herself. Mr. Harris gently led her to a seat, remarking in a whisper, "I'll write the check for you at once." She turned upon him very grateful eyes, but almost instantly a shadow crept across her face as she said, "The security I have to offer----" Mr. Harris looked pained, and lifting his hand, he interrupted her with, "Don't, please don't let the security trouble you."