it must be confessed that for the moment nelson was completely nonplused. he wished to get into the cottage, and at once, but the woman looked as if she meant what she said, and he had no desire to have his skull cracked open by the rolling-pin.

"see here, madam; you are making a great mistake," he said as calmly as he could.

"eh?" and sarah higgins put her hand up to her ear.

"i say you are making a great mistake," bawled nelson. "that lady is not crazy."

"i say she is."

"who told you she was crazy—mr. bulson?"

at this the woman looked astonished.

"do you know that gentleman?"

"i know that man, yes. he is no gentleman. he robbed that lady of her property."

"how do you know?"

"i know—and that's enough. if you don't[pg 234] let me in at once, i'll have the law on you, and you'll go to prison for ten or twenty years," went on nelson, bound to put his argument as strongly as possible.

at this sarah higgins grew pale, and the hand with the rolling-pin dropped at her side.

"sure you aint making a mistake, boy?"

"no; i know exactly what i am talking about. that young lady is not crazy, and neither you nor bulson have any right to keep her a prisoner."

"he said she was crazy; that she needed rest and quiet. that's why he brought her here."

"he is a villain, and if you know when you are well off, you'll have nothing to do with him. now let me in, before i hammer down the door and turn you over to the police."

"oh, my! don't hammer down the door, and don't call the police!" shrieked sarah higgins. "i meant to do no wrong, i can assure you."

"then open the door."

"you will not—not touch me if i do?" she asked timidly.

"not if you behave yourself. if bulson deceived you, that's in your favor. but you had better not help him further."

with trembling hand sarah higgins unbolted the door and opened it. at once nelson[pg 235] marched in, and, espying the stairs, mounted to the upper floor of the cottage.

"nelson, is that you?"

"yes."

"oh, how thankful i am!"

"where's the key to this door?" demanded our hero of the woman, who had followed him.

"there." and she pointed to a near-by nail. soon he had the door unlocked, and at once gertrude rushed out to meet him. the tears of joy stood in her eyes.

"how did you find the way so soon?" she asked.

"the way? what do you mean?"

"why, the way from the railroad station at lakewood. did they know i came here?"

"i haven't been to lakewood," answered nelson. "i came here by pure accident." and then in a few words he told his story.

when he had finished gertrude told of the decoy letter and of what had followed. our hero was deeply interested and very angry that homer bulson had played such a trick.

"he ought to be put behind the bars for it," he said. "certainly i am going to tell the police about it. he hasn't any right to follow you up in this fashion, even if he is your cousin."

"he is growing more bold every day," [pg 236]answered gertrude. "i shall never feel safe so long as he is near me."

sarah higgins now calmed down, and tried to clear herself by saying she had been imposed upon. she readily consented to tell all she knew, if called upon to do so in a court of law, providing she herself was not prosecuted.

"that gives us one witness against your cousin," said nelson. "if we can get another, we'll put him behind the bars."

"i don't want him locked up, if only he will leave me alone," returned gertrude.

nelson's visit to the cottage had taken time, and when gertrude was ready to leave it was found to be too late to take the train our hero had started to catch.

"never mind, we can take the afternoon train," said the boy. "but we will have to get dinner somewhere." he turned to sarah higgins. "i think you ought to furnish that."

at this the miserly woman winced.

"well, if you really think so——" she began.

"i don't wish to stay here," cried gertrude, "mr. bulson may be back at any moment."

"well, if he comes, i guess he'll get the worst of it," answered nelson.

but gertrude would not stay, and a few minutes later they quitted the cottage.

[pg 237]

the girl still had her pocketbook, with her money and the railroad ticket, so she would have no trouble in getting back to the metropolis. she also had over a dollar in addition, and she insisted upon having nelson dine with her at a modest-looking restaurant, where the rates were not high.

"your uncle ought to be told of your cousin's doings," said our hero, when they were waiting for the train. "i don't believe he would stand for it, no matter if he is displeased with you."

"i will not take the story to him," answered gertrude with spirit. "he cast me out, and i shall not go near him until he asks me to come."

"well, i guess i'd feel that way," answered nelson, after a thoughtful pause. "i can't understand how he can treat his own blood as he is treating you."

"uncle mark was not always this way, nelson. in years gone by he was very kind and considerate."

"but what made the change?"

"his sickness. ever since he has been confined to the house he has been nervous, peevish, and altogether a different person. i really can't understand it."

[pg 238]

"it's queer. do you suppose having bulson around makes any difference?"

"how could it affect his sickness?"

"perhaps he gives your uncle something that affects his mind."

"oh, nelson! could anybody be so dreadfully cruel?"

"some folks are as mean as dirt. i want to tell you something that i never spoke of before, because i thought it wouldn't be right to misjudge bulson when i didn't know him as well as i know him now. do you remember i once told you how he tried to cheat george van pelt out of the sale of some books?"

"yes, i remember. you said van pelt made him take the books."

"so he did. and do you know what the books were?"

"i can't imagine."

"they were works on poisons, written in french."

"poisons!" gertrude grew pale. "oh, nelson! and you think——" she could not go on.

"i don't know what to think, but if i were you i'd have the doctors examine everything that mr. horton takes, especially the stuff homer bulson gives him."

[pg 239]

"i will do that. mr. bulson can no longer be trusted. he is a high liver, and may be very anxious to get hold of uncle mark's fortune in the near future."

"he said he wanted the books because he was going to become a doctor and make poisons a specialty. that is what he told van pelt."

"a doctor! i don't believe he has brains enough to become a doctor—or if he has, he is too lazy to apply himself. why, when he was a boy he was turned out of school because he wouldn't study."

"well, if he would lie and use you as he has, he would do worse, gertrude. for your uncle's sake he ought to be watched."

"he shall be watched," said gertrude decidedly. "no matter how badly uncle mark has treated me, i will see to it that homer bulson no longer plays him foul."