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296 many weary hours. Then I put another needle in that embroidery, in case they looked for it, and went to bed. It had been so easy, and part of her money would be Rannie's now.

"But it was all Rannie's. All the money which was being dissipated by Julian and Gene, thrown away on gew-gaws to deck her shallow prettiness by Cissie, like her mother before her. I learned that Julian meant to demand all that had been left him, and so he had to be the next! The little death-germs were gone from Rannie's room; but there were other ways, and I knew that the moment would come.

"One morning I went upstairs while Julian was shaving. He hadn't heard me enter, and as I stood watching him the way was shown to me. I called him suddenly, and the razor slipped and made just a tiny cut in his cheek; but he laid it down and started to staunch the blood. I offered to help him, but I snatched up that razor, and when he bent down for me to touch the towel to his face I slashed his throat instead! I knew just where to strike, for I had been reading Rannie's books, and Christine's first-born didn't take long to die! "I put the razor near his hand, ran down and changed my dress, and went to the breakfast-table. How clever I was, then! How surprised I was and concerned when Peters came rushing down with his silly mouth wide open, and how horror-struck I appeared at the truth! If only I hadn't been laughing inside all the time, laughing with joy that one more who had stood in Rannie's path was gone!

"Then the others began to be afraid, and I knew and felt my power! It was sweet to me after the years when I