At a nod from Trask she sat down again, and then the storm broke. “I told you so!” cried Helen Peyton. “That’s the very dress that made the marks on that chair back! Dare you deny, Miss Austin, that you were in Doctor Waring’s study that night he died?” The dark eyes of Miss Mystery opened wide in horror. She seemed fairly paralyzed with fright, and glanced wildly from one face to another. Maurice Trask’s showed only frank admiration. He looked at the girl as if he had never before seen any one so attractive. Gordon Lockwood’s face betrayed no emotion of any sort. Had he been indifferent to Miss Mystery instead of loving her, as he did, he could have shown no less expressive countenance. And all the others present showed definite and decided suspicion, scorn and hatred. Except one. Old Salt looked kindly at the agitated girl. He even held out a protective hand, and with a gentle inflection, said: “Tell the truth, dear child. _Did_ you know Doctor Waring?” Slowly Miss Mystery’s eyes traveled round the room. Looking at each face in turn, her own expression became more and more hard and stubborn. Then, seeing the kindness on the face of Old Salt, she broke down utterly and sobbed out. “Oh, he’s dead—he’s dead! what shall I do?” CHAPTER XIII THE TRUESDELL EYEBROWS Maurice Trask looked at Miss Mystery with rapidly growing interest and curiosity. She seemed so young and helpless and she was so pretty and so pathetic that he immediately decided she could not be mixed up in any wrong-doing. He also decided, for he was a man of quick conclusions, that this was the girl for him. Having his new fortune, he wanted a wife to help him enjoy it, and where could he find a more utterly desirable girl than Miss Austin? Straightforwardly he asked: “Did Doctor Waring make love to you? Did you love him?” The others looked aghast at these suggestions, and then Mrs. Adams said, “Yes, she did! I saw her one night, kissing Doctor Waring’s picture.” Cray turned on Anita. “Did you love that man?” he asked, sternly. “If you did, you surely didn’t kill him.” “Of course she didn’t kill him,” Old Salt put in. “Impossible to imagine such a thing! Speak up, little girl. Why did you kiss the picture of a man you had never seen?” Several of those listening waited breathlessly for a response. Gordon Lockwood, for one, could scarce control his impatience to hear the answer. For, only too well he remembered the letter he had found in the Doctor’s waste-basket. The words were graven in his brain. Darling Anita: At the first glance of your brown eyes love was born in my heart. Life is worth living—with you in the world.