" You don't know, do you ? " She gave a little mock-
ing laugh. " Of course not. I guess she's fooled you



S9C Hagar ReveUy

too, professor. Well, I can tell you the name of the
place she gave Mrs. Costello.**

"And what of that?"

" Onlj that they don't know anything about it, at the
place she told us — St. Vincent's."

Now the name came back to him.
" Yes," be said, " that was the name she told me the
other day." He looked at her fully in the face. With
some satisfaction she perceived that he was becoming
aroused. " You asked her, and she told you St. Vin-
cent's," he went on, " and they don't know anything
about it there?"

" Yes. And to make it sure, we — or rather, the party
who went, got the names of the only other two institu-
tions where there was any resemblance of the names.
And she got the same information at these places, too.
*' Why, no one ever adopted a child from any of these
places during the week she brought Edric here. So you
see, professor, the situation that confronts me. It paina
me so much, but — " she hesitated.
"But what?"

" — but I must ask you — you to leave — unless Miss
Thatah can offer some explanation that is satisfactory to
us. I am sure you understand. It protects you and
her as well as it does us."

That night Revelly confronted lliatah with a recount
of the interview. And as the girl sat forlornly in front
of him, he mistook her anguish for wrath, and begged her
to go to them and tell them their mistake. " You've
got to, Thatah," he begged.
