Outline numbering is whacked

[stargazer7]

I feel I am a pretty good MS Word user, and rarely have a problem I
can't solve, but this is one of those occasions.
So far, I've been able to get Outline Numbering to do what I want,
i.e. the correct level, numbering, etc.
I am using the relatively simple 1.0 - 1.1 - 1.1.1 type of
numbering, using the menu selections "Format" > "Bullets and
Numbering."
I have now encountered a location where Word utterly refuses to
number the heading properly. In this specific location, I had to try
over and over again to obtain the third-level heading number "3.1.2".
I finally got Word to produce the correct number, but it is now
followed by a line of dots (ellipses?), which is "glued" to the first
letter of the heading, i.e.


"3.1.2.........................................................................................................O
ther Charts"

As shown, the remainder of the heading is on the next line down.
I have tried backspacing from the "O", but it erases the header
numbering along with the line of periods/ellipses.
That's about all I can tell you right now. If you have questions,
please instruct me on how I can answer them, i.e. what to look at on
my document, in case I don't know the immediate answer.
Thank you very much in advance for your comments and info.

Cheers,
Dave

P.S. I am not actively using Styles, but this is an "inherited"
document and may have some Styles embedded.

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

At a guess, the numbering has overshot the tab stop for the heading text (or
perhaps there isn't one), and there is a left-aligned tab stop with a period
leader at the right margin.