XXVII. A Legal Document is Received, 260 XXVIII. Horace Wylie’s Philosophy, 271 XXIX. Drifting, 277 XXX. The Coming of the Storm, 287 XXXI. Caught in a Blizzard, 301 XXXII. A Surprise, 314 XXXIII. Conclusion, 327 TIBBY CHAPTER I THE FAIR UNKNOWN The great bell of the cathedral chimed musically the hour of six, its vibrant tones mingling with the muffled din and clangor of smaller bells, steam whistles, town clocks and street-car jingle, making itself heard above the roar and rattle of travel over the stone-paved streets of the Forest City. Away at the north the blue lake rolled, its waters dotted by the many white-clothed vessels and smoke-trailing steamships. The whole was made bright by a lowering, unveiled sun, which ere long must sink to rest in its waves. At the south a heavy cloud of smoke and vapor rested above the river flats, hiding the blackened roofs of the shops and manufactories, only broken by the scarlet tongues of fire that occasionally shot upward from seething furnaces and tall chimneys. The rattle upon the pavement grew louder, and the confusion of sounds greater, as the crowds of workmen thronged the streets, homeward-bound, after the hard day of labor. At an upper window of La Grande Hotel a lady, screened by the hanging folds of the curtain drapery, looked out upon the multitude of pedestrians hurrying along the sidewalk below. The close-fitting gown of soft, light material revealed a plump, stylish little figure, most attractive in its fashionable perfection. Against the dark wood of the window-casing rested a white, rounded wrist, and delicate, dimpled hand, upon the fingers of which glittering stones caught the rich sunlight and showered it in rainbow splendor upon the opposite wall. The fluffy rings of fair hair that rested above her forehead seemed appropriate adornment to the bright, girlish face and careless, smiling eyes, that showed so certainly her exemption from sorrow and care. The perfection and harmony of her costume showed also that she belonged to that class that “Toil not, neither do they spin,” but are the beautiful exponents of the art of modiste and hairdresser. Across the room, resting indolently in an easy chair, a gentleman studied the third edition of the _Daily Leader_, apparently oblivious of the presence of the fair lady at the window. He, too, had the well-fed, well-groomed look of the man with full purse and few anxieties, together with an air of unmistakable elegance and worldly wisdom.