It was easy enough for Hal to say, “Pay my debt,” but Dorothea had no idea how that was to be accomplished. All she knew was that Lee Hendon was in Coulter Woods or at least that Hal thought so. As she speculated upon the matter she concluded that Lee and Hal had parted on the understanding that the former would remain there to receive the help he was in need of. But it was in no wise clear to Dorothea. Why should Hendon need help? In what danger did he stand? Washington was his home, and although he was not particularly popular with the more fanatical people of the town, there were many who understood something of his position and were entirely sympathetic with him. The more she pondered the matter the more she began again to believe that Hal was not quite himself, and that his illness and fever had been the cause of his curious state of mind in regard to Lee Hendon. She sat beside the bed, gently fanning the tranquil patient when Harriot came in on tiptoe. “How is he?” she asked in a whisper, settling herself on the floor beside Dorothea. “He’s better, I think,” Dorothea whispered in answer. “What he needs,” Harriot remarked judicially, “is food. I’d be as weak as a kitten on the mushy stuff they feed him. I wish his mammy was here. She lives down on our plantation at Magnolia. She understands about sick people. She always gives you good things to eat.” April came in shortly and relieved Dorothea, but Harriot had plans for the afternoon and spoke of them as soon as they came out of the sick room. “I say, Dee,” she said, “let’s go over and see Corinne. I think it would be fun to drive over ourselves and—and Corinne was in, asking after Hal, and she says their cook has just made some rice-flour cookies.” Dorothea hailed the suggestion promptly. She thought she saw a way of getting to Coulter Woods with no one the wiser, if it was important that the rest of the family should not know that Lee Hendon was lurking there. She did not understand why this should be so, but Hal’s evident concern pointed to that conclusion. There was, of course, the possibility that Hal had been half delirious, but she dared not take that for granted. She must go to the woods alone and see if she could And Lee Hendon. So she acquiesced in Harriot’s plans, and the two were shortly on the road for the Stewart house. Mrs. Stewart, as usual, was busy packing. Piles of clothing, shoes, curtains, blankets, baskets of silver, packages of groceries, a confusion of all sorts of things blocked the doorway; but Mrs. Stewart greeted them as calmly as if she were in her reception room receiving the neighborhood. “I sent for you to come up, my dears,” she explained, “because I thought it would be a most valuable lesson to see how a person with real foresight and executive ability arranges for all the eventualities of travel.” With elaborate care she took a huge muff from its cedar box, examined it for moths and put it into one of the open trunks.