"I shall find out where my lady was last night. Trust me to learn her secret, and then she will be in my power!" CHAPTER XXXIX. Victor Lamont had been quite correct in his surmise. Jay Gardiner had reached Newport several hours later than he had calculated, and had gone directly to his own apartments. He was so tired with his long trip that he would have thrown himself on his couch just as he was, had not a letter, addressed to himself, staring at him from the mantel, caught his eye, and on the lower left-hand corner he observed the words: "Important. Deliver at once." Mechanically he took it down and tore the envelope. The superscription seemed familiar--he had seen that handwriting before. He looked down at the bottom of the last page, to learn who his correspondent was, and saw, with surprise, and not a little annoyance, that it was signed "Anonymous." He was about to crush it in his hand and toss it into the waste-paper basket, when it occurred to him that he might as well learn its contents. There were but two pages, and they read as follows: "To DOCTOR JAY GARDINER, ESQ., Ocean House, Newport. "_Dear Sir_--I know the utter contempt in which any warning given by an anonymous writer is held, but, notwithstanding this, I feel compelled to communicate by this means, that which has become the gossip of Newport--though you appear to be strangely deaf and blind to it. "To be as brief as possible, I refer to the conduct of your wife's flirtations, flagrant and above board, with Victor Lamont, the English lord, or duke, or count, or whatever he is. I warn you to open your eyes and look about, and listen a bit, too. "When your wife, in defiance of all the proprieties, is seen riding alone with this Lamont at midnight, when you are known to be away, it is time for a stranger to attempt to inform the husband. "Yours with respect, "AN ANONYMOUS FRIEND." For some moments after he had finished reading that letter, Jay Gardiner sat like one stunned; then slowly he read it again, as though to take in more clearly its awful meaning. "Great God!" he cried out; "can this indeed be true?" If it was, he wondered that he had not noticed it. Then he recollected, with a start of dismay, that since they had been domiciled at the Ocean House he had not spent one hour of his time with Sally that could be spent elsewhere. He had scarcely noticed her; he had not spoken to her more than half a dozen times. He had not only shut her out from his heart, but from himself. He had told himself over and over again that he would have to shun his wife or he would hate her. She had seemed satisfied with this so long as she was supplied with money, horses and carriages, laces and diamonds. Was there any truth in what this anonymous letter stated--that she had so far forgotten the proprieties as to ride with this stranger.