Lester? For God's sake...."
"Here it is," I said, and handed him the letter.
He seized it, took one look at the address, then turned away to the
window and ripped the envelope open. He unfolded the sheet of paper it
contained, and as his eyes ran along it, his face grew whiter still.
At last he raised his eyes and stared at me with the look of a man who
felt the world tottering about him.
CHAPTER V
A CALL FOR HELP
"For heaven's sake, Swain," I said, "sit down and pull yourself
together."
But he did not seem to hear me. Instead he read the letter through
again, then he turned toward me.
"How did you get this, Mr. Lester?" he asked.
"I found it lying under the trees. It had been thrown over the wall."
"But how did you know it was thrown over by Miss Vaughan?"
"That was an easy guess," I said, sparring feebly. "Who else would
attempt to conduct a surreptitious correspondence with a handsome
young man?"
But he did not smile; the look of intensity in his eyes deepened.
"Come, Mr. Lester," he protested, "don't play with me. I have a right
to know the truth."
"What right?" I queried.
He paused an instant, as though nerving himself to speak, as though
asking himself how much he should tell me.
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