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Rh She nodded wordlessly.

"You have heard of the subsequent death of Mrs. Lorne's oldest son, Julian Chalmers?"

"No!" she cried. "I have been on a contagious case in quarantine for the last fortnight. That splendid, robust young man! I—I can scarcely believe it! How—how did he die?"

"He was murdered in an even more ruthless fashion than was his mother. We have absolute proof of that and the manner of it; and two later unsuccessful attempts have been made upon other members of the family." Odell paused. "You see now, Miss Risby, that no ethical question must seal your lips. In the case of Mrs. Lorne, I may tell you that Doctor Adams as well as the specialists are convinced that death was not the direct result of the prick of that needle; and they are coöperating with me in every way. I must ask you to be equally frank."

"Oh, I don't know what to do!" The girl's hands twisted together in her lap. "Nursing isn't only a business with me; it is almost a sacred calling, and I have always striven to uphold its tenets scrupulously. There can be nothing more despicable than a woman who enters a home in the intimate, confidential capacity of a nurse and tattles of the personal, private matters which inevitably come under her observation; and yet if it is a question of preventing crime, I realize that I have no choice. Only if Mr. Lorne is innocent I am doing a terrible thing in this betrayal of my trust!"

"If Mr. Lorne is innocent the truth cannot hurt him," the detective urged. "Circumstantial evidence alone cannot