He took the paper from her, and in silence she pointed to the article that had caused her such consternation.
The headlines were sensational, describing as they did the arrest of Miss Evelyn Chandler, the daughter of one of the wealthiest citizens of the metropolis, in company with Luis Kingsley, of Wall Street fame, in a disreputable place.
Edith Pyne had read no further than that; but calling the attention of Miss Pryor to it, they had hurried with it to Mr. Pryor's study.
The paper dropped from Lynde's hand and fluttered to the floor.
He seemed to understand that some dreadful thing had happened, that there could be no mistake, and though Leonie's name was not mentioned in those first lines, he seemed to know intuitively that they related to her.
He sat down in a chair very suddenly, and Edith kneeled beside him.
"You must not take those horrible words as literally true," she exclaimed, gently. "You know so well how many mistakes these papers make. Do not look like that, Lynde! You frighten me!"
"Do not distress yourself about me, dear," he said, gently. "There is nothing wrong. Read the article to me, please. I do not seem able to see quite distinctly."
Still kneeling there beside him, she read it to the end. About the arrest in the deserted house of Ben Mauprat, about the sensational demand of the boy for the arrest of the man with the will, of the counter-charge of disguised sex made by the man, of the march to the station-house, of the costumes of the party, of how the "boy" had given his name as Leonie Cuyler Pyne——
Suddenly Miss Pyne's face was lifted, ghastly as Lynde's own.