RhodaGray’sface，underthegrimeofGypsyNan’sdisguise，grewtroubledandperplexed。Neitherhadthepapers，eventheeveningpapers，statedwhetherDanglarhadasyetbeenreleased-theyhaddevotedtherestoftheirspacetothevilificationoftheWhiteMoll。Theyhaddemandedinnouncertaintonesamoreconclusiveeffortonthepartoftheauthoritiestobringher，andwithhernowthemaninthecase，astheycalledtheAdventurer，tojustice，and……
ThethoughtoftheAdventurercausedhermindtoswervesharplyoffatatangent。Wherehehadpiquedandarousedhercuriositybefore，henow，sincelastnight，seemedmorecomplexacharacterthanever。
Itwasstrange，moststrange，thewaytheirlives，hisandhers，hadbecomeinterwoven！Shehadowedhimmuch；butlastnightshehadrepaidhimandsquaredaccounts。Shehadtoldhimso。Sheowedhimnothingmore。Ifasenseofgratitudehadoncecausedhertolookuponhimwith-with-Shebitherlips。Whatwastheuseofthat？
Haditbecomesomuchapartofherlife，somuchahabit，thisthrowingofdustintheeyesofothers，thisconstantpassingofherselfoffforsomeoneelse，thisconstantdeception，warrantedthoughitmightbe，thatshemustnowseektodeceiveherself！Whynotfranklyadmittoherownsoul，alreadyinthesecret，thatshecaredinspiteofherself-forathief？Whynotadmitthatagreathurthadcome，onethatnoonebutherselfwouldeverknow，ahurtthatwouldlastforalwaysbecauseitwasawoundthatcouldneverbehealed？
Athief！Shelovedathief。Shehadfoughtabitter，stubbornbattlewithhercommonsensetoconvinceherselfthathewasnotathief。Shehadsnatchedhungrilyattheincidentthatcenteredaroundthosehandcuffs，soopportunelyproducedfromtheAdventurer’spocket。Shehadtriedtoarguethatthosehandcuffsnotonlysuggested，butproved，hewasapoliceofficerindisguise，workingonsomecaseinwhichDanglarandtheganghadbeenmixedup；and，asshetriedtoargueinthiswise，shetriedtoshuthereyestothefactthatthesamepocketoutofwhichthehandcuffscamewasatexactlythesamemomenttherepositoryofasmanystolenbanknotesasitwouldhold。ShehadtriedtoarguethatthefactthathewassoinsistentlyatworktodefeatDanglar’splanswasinhisfavor；butthatargument，likeallothers，camequicklyandmiserablytogrief。Wherethe“leak“was，asDanglarcalledit，thatsuppliedtheAdventurerwithforeknowledgeofthegang’smovements，shehadnoidea，savethatperhapstheAdventurerandsometraitorinthegangwereincollusionfortheirownends-andthatcertainlydidnotlifttheAdventurertoanyhigherplane，orwashfromhimthestigmaofthief。