Exit Betty

ected to arrive. The great rooms had become a dream of paradise, with silver rain and white lilies in a mist of soft green depending from the high ceilings. In the mids

and vines; and even so early the musicians were taking their places and tuning their instruments. On the floor above, where room after room shone in beauty, with co

-faced girl with discontented eyes. "Ain't it kind

y Betty. A pretty fuss Candace her old nurse would be makin' if she was here the night! I guess the madam knew what she was about

s!" said the discontented one. "And anyhow, he's as handsome as

d Aileen. "I wouldn't marry a ki

disdain. "Wait till your looks go! Yo

was about to sail away on her own business when a stir below stairs attracted their attention. A stout, elderly woman, dressed in a stiff new black

oor soul! Candy! Oh!-Candy! What iver brought ye here the night? This is no place for the loikes

me puffing on, her f

, yet, my poor wee Betty?"

be gettin' out of here right away, for the wedding party's due to arrive any minute now an

as has been in this house more years than you have been weeks! Come along, Candace, and I'll slip you in

white lamb that couldn't move another step, all of a heap in her pretty things! And they stopped the ceremony and everybody got up, and they took her away, and we waited till bime-by the minister said the bride wasn't well enough to proceed with the ceremony and would they all go

es growing into incredulity, the eyebrows of Marie movi

ently. "I guess there's some mistake somewheres; anyway, you better stay in my room till you see what happens. We haven't h

and Aileen hastened back to the gallery to listen. It was the

t was a great mistake sending him away. If he had been standing there, where

the devil for all I care! How do you know but he has, and taken her with him? The first thing to do is to get that girl ba

airs and Madam Stanhope was almost immediately aware of the

enage was familiar, and she was as coldly beautiful in her exquisite heliotrope gown of brocaded velvet and chiffon with the glitter of jewels about her

," she announced, without turning an eyelash. "Put away her things, and get the bed ready!" One could see that she was thinking rapidly. She wa

to whatever arrangements they see fit to make, within reason, of course. Just use your judgment, James, and by the way, there will be telephone calls, of course, from our friends. Say that Miss Betty

he flower-garlanded staircase, past the huddled musicians, to her own apartment.

arrives send him to me at once!" Then the door closed and the woman was alone with her defeat, and the pla

just about where I wanted her, and another day would have broken her in. She's scared to death of insane asylums, and I told her long ago

fault the least little thing that happens! It was for your sake that I stopped you; you know it was. You couldn't carry out any such crazy scheme. Betty'

would the trust

ight tel

become his wife. "I think I'd have her better trained than that. As for you, Mother, you're all off, as usual! What do you think could possibly happen to you?

e situation once more, an inscrutable expression on her hard-lined face. Her voice took on an almost pitiful re

one cent belonging to her should pass through my hands, which would have left us with just my income as the will provided, and would have meant comparative poverty for us all except as Betty chose to be benevolent. I kept a strict watch on all his movements those last few days, of course, and when I found he had given Candace a letter to mail, I told her I would look after it, and I brought it up to my room and read it, for I suspected just some such thing as he had done. He was very fuss

ard glittering eyes and a snee

m, you say, and made them think you were crazy about the girl. They pay you Betty's allowance till she's of age, don't they? They can't lay a finger on you. You're a fool to waste my time talking about a little thing like that when we ought to be pl

d not have brought in all this deception. It will look so terrible if it ev

ne, and I won't have Bessemer or anybody else putting in a finger. She's mine! I told her so a long time ago, and she knows it! She can't get away from me, and it's

to lie on the floor and scream himself black in the face and hold his breath till she gave in; and the poor woman, wrought to the highest pitch of excitement already by

e mother only seemed to infuriate the young man. He walked u

some kind of a plan. Don't you see we'll have the hounds of the press at our

evastation those few tears had made of her careful

ephone calls and say that Betty is

ctor says she m

down--" she answered him coldly. "I'm

-night, but what'll we say to-

se he didn't come to her wedding. She hasn't an idea that he never got her note asking him to give her away. Thank heaven I got hold of that before it reached the postman! If that old granny had

d. But I'm not so sure she wouldn't go there, and we better tell the detectives that. What's the old guy's address? I'll call him u

It's a wonder she didn't look frightful! But that's Betty! Cry all day and come out looking like a star with

e. You're the limit! I say, you'd better be getting down to business! I've thought of another t

hardened, and anxie

akes too much upon herself. I wouldn't have kept her so long, only she knew I took the trustee's letter, and she was very impudent about it once or twice, so that I didn't really dare to let her go until just a few d

o be locked up somewhere! She's liable to make no end of trouble! You can't tell what she's stirred up

led face, stepped to the

e asked in a soothing tone, studying the maid's countenance. "I think it might be w

er mistress' face. There was res

an invitation, and when Miss Betty took sick she was that scared she ran out of the chu

head to her son and her eyes said: "That's stra

find her, Aileen, and if you do, tell

r errand and Mrs. Stan

some collusion. But in any case I think we ha

long the hall and a little jerky knock ann

he little red-faced crea

ou. Just now she is-umm--" she glanced furtively at her son, and lifting her voice a trifle, as if to make her statement more emphatic-"she is at a private hospital near the church where they took her till she should be able to come home. It will depend on her condition whether they

eely as her own for an instant, in search of a possible ulterior motive, and then turning

"she's safe! I'll set Marie to watch her and if there's an

g at his mother's desk with the telep

etty's mother was discovered to be seriously ill in a hospital and unable to converse even through the medium of his nurse, so there was nothing to be gained there. Messages to the public functionaries in his town developed no news. Late into the night, or rather far toward the morni

rds which she had used on him successfully for a number of years, she succeeded in impressing upon him the necessity of coming home at once, and just as the pink was beginning

But Bessemer didn't sound like a bridegroom. Had Bessemer run away then, or what? But some things looked queer. She remembered that Aileen had spoken as if Herbert was the bridegroom, but she had taken it for a mere slip of the tongue

take as she gave the order over the 'phone, and she must have misspoke herself, but anyhow she thought she'd destroyed them all and given a rush order and they would be all right and sent out in plen

e as she glared at the name of Herbert Hutton thoughtfull