Produced by Roger Frank, Darleen Dove and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net THE SCARLET FEATHER [Illustration: THERE WAS SOMETHING MAGNETIC ABOUT THIS MAN WHOM SHE FEARED AND TRIED TO HATE.--Page 201] THE SCARLET FEATHER BY HOUGHTON TOWNLEY Author of "The Bishop's Emeralds" ILLUSTRATIONS BY WILL GREFE NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS COPYRIGHT, 1909 BY W. J. WATT & COMPANY _Published June, 1909_ CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I The Sheriff's Writ 9 II The Check 21 III The Dinner at the Club 33 IV Dora Dundas 39 V Debts 50 VI A Kinship Something Less Than Kind 66 VII Good-bye 82 VIII A Tiresome Patient 89 IX Herresford is Told 93 X Hearts Ache and Ache Yet Do Not Break 102 XI A House of Sorrow 117 XII A Difficult Position 125 XIII Dick's Heroism 135 XIV Mrs. Swinton Confesses 147 XV Colonel Dundas Speaks His Mind 168 XVI Mr. Trimmer Comes Home 173 XVII Mrs. Swinton Goes Home 190 XVIII A Second Proposal 195 XIX An Unexpected Telegram 204 XX The Wedding Day Arranged 221 XXI Dick's Return 226 XXII The Blight of Fear 237 XXIII Dora Sees Herresford 249 XXIV Dick Explains to Dora 262 XXV Tracked 280 XXVI Mrs. Swinton Hears the Truth 288 XXVII Ormsby Refuses 297 XXVIII The Will 307 XXIX A Public Confession 320 XXX Flight 333 XXXI Dora Decides 340 XXXII Home Again 348 XXXIII The Scarlet Feather 353 THE SCARLET FEATHER THE SCARLET FEATHER CHAPTER I THE SHERIFF'S WRIT