"Calling Joshua, we ran along the road in the direction you had taken. We soon saw the lights of your car, and I could see that two men were struggling in the road. I knew that one of them must be you. I have always carried my little automatic with me since I came to live in this lonely neighborhood. Taking it out, I fired several shots in the air as I ran. That frightened the man who was attacking you and he fled. "Joshua carried you back to the house, and I telephoned for a doctor. The doctor said that an attempt had been made to asphyxiate you. If we had been a minute or two later he could not have saved you." "My God!" cried Forrester, receiving a shocking revelation. "The 'Friends of the Poor’! That is how their victims have been killed! How did you get that mask of death, Mary?" "You had seized it with a deathlike grip. The doctor could hardly get it out of your hands. When the man fled he had to break the tubing to carry the rest of the apparatus away." "What a wonderful piece of evidence!" exclaimed Forrester. "Yes," admitted the girl, "but against whom will you use it?" CHAPTER XVI—THE FATAL DANCE Forrester’s splendid health, and the prompt treatment he had received, quickly put him on his feet. The second day after his adventure he had sufficiently recovered to drive home in his car. This had been placed in the Bradbury barn by Joshua, who also completed the exchange of tires, which had been interrupted. The effect of this incident upon his family worried Forrester. It would drive his mother into a state of hysterical fear that could not fail to seriously impede his investigations. When he mentioned this phase of his accident to Mary Sturtevant, however, he found that the clever and resourceful girl had foreseen and provided against such an occurrence. Green had been summoned shortly after Forrester was brought to the house, the attack explained and instructions given to inform Forrester’s family that a business proposition had called him away unexpectedly for a few days. "No one outside of Mr. Green and my servants will ever know of this incident," Mary Sturtevant informed Forrester, "if _you_ remain silent. And for my sake I know that you will." Forrester promised, though strange doubts and misgivings battled with his affection for the girl. But of what use was love, he reflected, if it could not stand the fire and acid tests of life’s problematical moments. That the girl loved him he did not question now. It was only this dark and fearsome mystery which continued to hold them apart. Back home again, Forrester bathed and changed his clothes; then, after looking up his mother and sister and accounting for his absence in a matter of fact manner, he sought Green at his station in the pergola. "Narrow escape, Mr. Forrester," commented Green, as Forrester shook hands with him and sat down. "Funny how that Miss Sturtevant happened to be so handy. What do you say?"