Page:The Master of Mysteries (1912).djvu/239



URELY," said Astro, "until you have solved a woman's emotional equation, there's little use in trying to discover her motive. A woman will kill a man she hates; but she will as often kill a man she loves. Now look at this letter and tell me whether the writer is in love or not." As he spoke, he selected a sheet from the many spread out on his table and handed it to his assistant. Then, taking up the stem of his narghile, he leaned comfortably back on his velvet couch and watched the girl with amusement and fondness. His oriental eyes narrowed, and his olive-skinned, handsome, oval face under the white turban became a mask.

Valeska took up the writing with a pretty gesture and scanned it studiously. She looked up at last with a quick interrogative smile. "She's in love, I think; isn't she?"

"Decidedly!" The Master of Mysteries bowed slowly. "The crossings of the "t's" are almost all in a double curve; it's a sure sign. But you notice that some of them have only a single curve, like the lower arc of a circle."

"Oh, so they have! Why, then, she has had a previous love-affair, hasn't she?" Rh