She rose and went to a desk, returning with an envelope. She sat down again and took a letter from this envelope, which she first read herself slowly and with a curious air of deliberation. Then she held it out to Barrison. “I am going to trust you,” she said, meeting his eyes proudly, “not to make use of this unless you have to. Wait, before you read it! When I knew of the horrible thing that had happened at the theater that night, I thought of my sister. I—I am afraid it is scarcely enough to say that I suspected her. I remembered the angry words I had heard her say inside the dressing room. I knew her ungovernable rages and the bitterness she had for Alan. And I knew that she was a wonderful shot, and that she had never got out of the habit of going armed. I—well, I felt very sure what had happened.” She was breathing quickly, and speaking in a hoarse, strained tone. “I knew that there was more than a chance that some one else knew of her presence, and—I could not bear to have her arrested. I won’t pretend that it was all sisterly affection, but I think it was that, too, in a way. I couldn’t forget that, after all, we were of the same blood, and had been children and young girls together. I—I sent her money; I had seen in the paper that she and her husband were playing in New York, and I sent it to their theater, and with it I sent a note, begging her to lose no time in getting out of town. Was it—do you think it was very wrong?” she asked him rather piteously. “It was at all events very natural,” Jim answered, a little surprised and touched by what she had told him. “And may I read this now?” “Yes, read it. It is Marita’s answer to me. She accepted the money and sent me this letter.” With an odd movement of weariness and sorrow, she turned and laid her hands upon the back of her chair, and her face upon them. The note was in the same scrawling hand that had made all the threats against Mortimer, that he knew to be that of Marita Blankley. And it ran thus: KITTY: I am glad that you have some feeling as a sister left in you. I did not suppose that the day would ever come when it would be _you_ who would help me get out of trouble! I dare say at that it was only your hatred of having our names linked together, or having any one know you knew me even! Of course I was a fool to go to the theater last night. I might have known what would happen. Now I am going to try to forget it all. I shall live only for my husband, and we shall get out of town as soon as possible! I can trust _you_ not to talk, I know! There was never much love lost between us, Kitty. Your sister, MARITA. Barrison sat very still after reading this. At last he noticed that Kitty had lifted her head and was watching him with an anxious face. “Well?” she demanded.