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 *cussing that item, which provoked no small amount of alarm, and caused Henry Cope to be bombarded all that forenoon with questions he could not, or would not, answer, putting him before midday into such a reek of perspiration that he felt as if he had taken a plunge in the river.

With a copy of the paper in his pocket, Benton King lingered a few minutes at the post office, and was rewarded by the appearance of Janet. He showed her the paper, and saw her cheek pale as she read the brief article.

"That ought to convince you," he said.

"It does not!" she exclaimed, handing back the paper. "It is a wretched slur, such as might be expected from Bancroft."

"Where there's smoke, you know."

"I'm truly ashamed of you, Bent. I thought better of you."

He flushed under the stinging remark, but stood his ground.

"You will be forced to believe, in the end, Janet."

"As long as Mr. Locke has denied that he is Paul Hazelton, I shall believe him. He has the eyes of an honest man. He has the face of a man who cannot lie."

"I confess that he is an excellent actor, able to