"If my going away would lessen the danger----"
"No; I shall need you more than ever. I am not prepared to say just yet what I shall do, but I shall soon decide. We will stop work for this afternoon. I am going downtown to see my lawyer. I shall not need you till tea-time."
She left the room, and Robert, availing himself of his leisure, left the house also.
He was destined to a surprise.
On State Street, near the Palmer House, an hour later he came face to face with his step-father, now in the city for the first time since his illness. Robert had held no communication with the family since obtaining his new position, and James Talbot did not know where he was.
"Robert Frost!" he exclaimed in genuine surprise.
"Mr. Talbot," said Robert coldly.
"Are you still living in Chicago?" asked his step-father curiously.
"Yes, sir. Is my mother well?"
"As well as she can be, considering the waywardness of her son."