As Doris stole quietly up the stairway with Wags snuggled in her arms, her thoughts were bitter. What right had Ronald Trent to ingratiate himself with Azalea and Iris, only to trick them? Obviously, his motive was money. “He won’t get away with anything if I can help it!” she told herself. As if to punctuate the thought, she unthinkingly gave Wags a tiny squeeze. He promptly yelped. Alarmed, Doris stopped and listened, but she could hear no one moving in the house. Quieting Wags, she continued up the stairs and down the long dark hall to her bedroom. Letting herself in, she dropped Wags on the bed with a sigh of relief. “I thought you never were coming,” Kitty whispered. “What in the world made you take so long?” “Lots of things,” Doris told her impressively. “I was scared to death here by myself.” “It was sort of scarey down where I was too, Kit. Listen! I have the most astonishing news!” In a few terse sentences she then told her chum all she had overheard. “Why, the mean old scamp!” Kitty exclaimed. “So you think he is after their money?” “I’m sure of it.” “Do you suppose they have a lot?” “I don’t know, but I should think so. This house must be worth plenty.” Kitty and Doris were both ignorant of real estate values and did not know that if Locked Gates were placed upon the auction block, it would bring only a comparatively small sum. The house was not modern and had fallen into a general state of dilapidation. “At least, I’m pretty sure that man isn’t my cousin,” Doris declared, “although Henry Sully did call him Trent.” “I knew there was something wrong with that man the minute I saw him,” Kitty insisted. Doris had finished undressing and slipped into bed. Wags snuggled down between the girls and they permitted him to remain, for his presence made them less afraid of the unseen dangers of the old mansion. “What do you mean to do now that you’ve discovered that those men are plotting against Azalea and Iris?” Kitty asked. “I don’t know,” Doris admitted doubtfully. “If they learn what we’ve discovered, there is no telling what they might do to us. They already suspect that I may try to make trouble. They called me a red-head! I’ll show ’em a thing or two before I get through!” “Will you tell the twins what you have learned?” “Not right away. I want to get all the proof I can before I say anything to them. If I should make a mistake, they never would forgive me. You know, Kitty, I even hate to hear that man Trent laugh.” “To be honest with you, Dory, I do too.” “It seems so insincere.” “Yes,” agreed Kitty. “Whenever he bursts out into one of those loud guffaws of his one just can’t help but feel that he is doing something for effect—that there is not real honest effort back of anything he is planning or doing.”