"This much--I am going to have a measure of stability in my family service somehow. Your mother here is in a tight box. All I have to do is to speak the word and to the penitentiary she goes!" said Daleman. Foresta grew weak, her lips slightly parted and she backed to the wall for support. Arthur Daleman, Jr., continued: "Borrowing money from loan companies takes the form of a sale, as you can see by reading any of the contracts. Now you can't sell a thing to two different people at the same time. The law does not allow such. It is a penitentiary offense. See?" Foresta rushed to her mother and threw her arms about her and sobbed bitterly. Mrs. Crump said, "I'll go to the pen. Come after me when you get ready! but Fores' shall never work for you." "Take your choice," said Arthur Daleman, Jr., and walked from the room. Foresta tore herself from her mother's arms and rushed out of the room after him. "Mister! Wait!" she called. "Don't do anything to mama. I'll come and do the work faithfully," said Foresta trying to smile. "All right," said Daleman, smiling, "Be a good girl and you won't have a better friend than I am," said he, in a significant tone, trying to awaken Foresta to the real situation. If she understood it her impassive countenance did not reveal the fact. The world at large has heard that the problem of the South is the protection of the white woman. There is another woman in the South. CHAPTER X. _Arabelle Seabright._ "Arabelle, I am not going to have a thing to do with this whole matter. Suppose the bottom falls out and we are detected. Just imagine _my_ fate." "Detected?" hissed Mrs. Arabelle Seabright, turning a scornful gaze upon her husband. "You talk as though we have committed or are about to commit some crime. You just stay in your place, please, and leave matters to me." "Do you mean to tell me that I need not meet the man?" asked Mr. Seabright eagerly. "Yes!" replied Mrs. Seabright. He leaped out of his chair and waltzed across the room, kissed his wife and darted through the door. "Fool!" she muttered between her teeth. Mrs. Arabelle Seabright in her room in the Domain Hotel was now awaiting the arrival of a newspaper reporter, the next victim to be bent to her will. It had been on her programme to have her daughter Eunice and her husband present during a part of the interview with the reporter, but as they were not entering enthusiastically into her plans she was rather glad that they had declined to be present. It was not long before a Mr. Gilman, reporter for the "Daily Columbian," was ushered into Mrs. Seabright's room. "Let us understand each other at the outset, if possible," said Mrs. Seabright, with a smile, directing a kindly gaze in the direction of the young man. Mr. Gilman bowed deferentially, but said nothing. "I am ambitious." said Mrs. Seabright. "Ambitious people are the ones that carry the world forward," ventured the young man modestly.