"Just stop thinking about it, Ruth." "I'll never stop as long as I live, unless I see it. I've dreamed steadily about that room all night." "Go alone, then, and I'll stay here." She went resolutely across the patio, and Connor, following with an exclamation, caught her arm roughly at the door. "You aren't serious?" "Deadly serious!" The glitter of her dark eyes convinced him more than words. "Then we'll go together. But make it short!" They swept the patio with conscience-stricken glances, and then opened the door. As they did so, the ugly face of Joseph appeared at the entrance to the patio, looked and hastily was withdrawn. "This is like a woman," muttered Connor, as they closed the door with guilty softness behind them. "Risk her life for a secret that isn't worth a tinker's damn!" For the room was almost empty, and what was in it was the simplest of the simple. There was a roughly made table in the center. Five chairs stood about it. On the table was a book, and the seven articles made up the entire furnishings. Connor was surprised to see tears in the eyes of Ruth. "Don't you see?" she murmured in reply to his exclamation. "The four chairs for the four dead men when David sits down in his own place?" "Well, what of that?" "What's in the book?" "Are you going to wait to see that?" "Open the door a little, Ben, and then we can hear if any one comes near." He obeyed and came back, grumbling. "We can hear every one except David. That step of his wouldn't break eggs." He found the girl already poring over the first page of the old book, on which there was writing in a delicate hand. She read aloud: "The story of the Garden of Eden, who made it and why it was made. Told without error by Matthew." "Hot stuff!" chuckled Connor. "We got a little time before the sun comes up. But it's getting red in the east. Let's hear some more." There was nothing imposing about the book. It was a ledger with a half-leather binding such as storekeepers use for accounts. Time had yellowed the edges of the paper and the ink was dulled. She read: "In the beginning there was a man whose name was John." "Sounds like the start of the Bible," grinned Connor. "Shoot ahead and let's get at the real dope." "Hush!" Without raising her eyes, she brushed aside the hand of Connor which had fallen on the side of the ledger. Her own took its place, ready to turn the page. "In the beginning there was a man whose name was John. The Lord looked upon John and saw his sins. He struck John therefor. First He took two daughters from John, but still the man was blind and did not read the writing of his Maker. And God struck down the eldest son of John, and John sorrowed, but did not understand. Thereat, all in a day, the Lord took from John his wife and his lands and his goods, which were many and rich. "Then John looked about him, and lo! he was alone.