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 than the resolution of all his life's bewilderments. He longed for Ethel with an intensity more poignant than at any hour since she had left him.

To be sure, he had heard from her only that morning and she had written a longer letter than usual, yet had detailed little information about herself. Page after page had consisted only of a statement of the condition, value and prospects of the different properties which had been her father's. She seemed to assume that he must be intimately concerned with them all; of course he was interested in whatever she was doing; but he wanted her; most of all he wanted her here, here with him this afternoon.

Upon reaching Mrs. Stanton-Fielding's mansion, he presented his admission card and was ushered, unchallenged and unannounced, into a large, handsomely furnished drawing-room temporarily transformed into a small arena by the addition of chairs circling the center, where was a large, easy chair not unlike that used by Madame Davol in her séance. Barney observed that thirty or forty people were expected; and four women and two men already were seated in the forward row. Two of the women were in black and were so heavily veiled that Barney could not tell whether he had previously seen them; one of these turned and gazed at him but without sign of recognition. The other two women, who were unveiled and in ordinary street attire, were middle-aged persons of refined and serious demeanor; Barney did not know them nor the men, probably their husbands, who accompanied them.

The windows were to the west and south so that the late afternoon sunshine sufficed to light the room; but the further corner on the right was so dim that Barney felt sure of being unobserved, if he went there; so he