to the home of the Conants--the one thing she positively must not do.
Since her arrival was wholly unexpected by her friends, with whom she
could not communicate, she now found herself a forlorn wanderer, without
money or shelter.

When the car stopped at Main Street she got off and walked slowly along
the brilliantly lighted thoroughfare, feeling more safe among the moving
throngs of people. Presently she came to a well-remembered corner where
the principal hotel stood on one side and the First National Bank on the
other. She now knew where she was and could find the direct route to the
Conants, had she dared go there. To gain time for thought the girl
stepped into the doorway of the bank, which was closed for the day, thus
avoiding being jostled by pedestrians. She set down her suit case,
leaned against the door-frame and tried to determine her wisest course
of action.

She was hungry, tired, frightened, and the combination of sensations
made her turn faint. With a white face and despair in her heart she
leaned heavily back and closed her eyes.

"Pardon me," said a soft voice, and with a nervous start she opened her
eyes to find the little fat-nosed man confronting her. He had removed
his hat and was looking straight into her face--for the first time, she
imagined--and now she noticed that his gray eyes were not at all
unkindly.

"What do you want?" she asked sharply, with an involuntary shudder.

"I wish to advise you, Miss Burrows," he replied. "I believe you know
who I am and it is folly for us to pursue this game of hide-and-seek any