Produced by Mardi Desjardins, Stephen Hutcheson and the online Distributed Proofreaders Canada team at https://www.pgdpcanada.net [Illustration: First-floor plan] FAULKNER'S FOLLY BY CAROLYN WELLS AUTHOR OF "THE BRIDE OF A MOMENT" [Illustration: Publisher logo] NEW YORK GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY COPYRIGHT, 1917, BY THE FRANK A. MUNSEY COMPANY. PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. In the Studio 9 II. Where They Stood 23 III. What They Said 37 IV. Goldenheart 51 V. Blake's Story 65 VI. Mrs. Faulkner's Account 79 VII. Natalie Not Joyce 94 VIII. The Emeralds 108 IX. One or the Other 123 X. Orienta 137 XI. Sealed Envelopes 151 XII. A Vision 165 XIII. An Alibi Needed 180 XIV. From Seven to Seventy 192 XV. Natalie in Danger 206 XVI. Confession and Arrest 220 XVII. Alan Ford 234 XVIII. Questions and Answers 248 XIX. Ford's Day 262 XX. On the Staircase 276 FAULKNER'S FOLLY I In the Studio Beatrice Faulkner paused a moment, on her way down the great staircase, to gaze curiously at the footman in the lower hall.