The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-09


with my wife; l quite content to work
TOT her when l have won her"
faVersnam waved his hand with a gesture
OF impatience
There is another subject T wish to sneak
TO you upon,'' he said CURLY; "one perhaps
not quite SO pleasant to you, Mr.. Grant. Ny
odusnter mad some very valuable diamonds
with her on her voyage not stones I valued
81 very much in those days, but which would
De little fortune to me now, and she lost
them most mysteriously. She has told me
that she had them safely while the raft,
ana missed them soon after. There were
some bank notes with them, and she saw you
drying bank notes by the fire in the fisher
mans hut No one but herself and you were
upon the raft during those hours of your
Journey"
he paused a moment, and Raymond rose,
looking steadily into his face
must ask you to be very explicit, he
sad, quietly, though his bronZed face had
darkened. Am I to understand that YOU
suspect me of robbing Miss Faversham?"
L DO, said Faversham, coolly; then he bent
Forward with a quick gesture Of surprise
and his face flushed angrily, while he pointed
to the seals Raymond's watch chain
They had been hidden while he sat, now
were plainly visible, Hilda's keepsake promi-
nent among them.
suspect, indeed? No. charge YOU now
with having robbed her. I had fanced it all
along-now l have ample proof
Does Miss Faversham share in this extra
ordinary delusion of yours, may I ask?" said
Raymond, at white heat but admirably calm
sxteriorly.
II neither know nor care. She told me
her tale, and put my own construction upon
it. But it is little late in the day to talk
about delusion,' isn't it, Mr.. Grant, when
you dare to stand before me with one of my
own diamonds upon you? If have the 9TH
ers-the whole eighteen of them-back in my
hands by midday tomorrow, I am prepared
to let the matter drop though 1 know it is
wrong in me to do so; otherwise shall
charge you at once
Raymond ignored the latter sentence and
its threat entirely.
He began to fear that worry and loss had
affected Robert Faversham's brain, and his
heart ached for Hilda.
II don't quite understand" he said ''how
can I possibly be wearing your diamond? I
have not a single stone about me-"
You have the largest of them all, as you
are quite clever enough to know I will
to me, before you restore the rest.
"This!" cried Raymond Grant. ct part
with this to no one!" and light came sud-
denly into his mind
He remembered Hilda'S peculiar look when
She gave it him, and how among the rough
gold of the nugget he had once or twice seen
something like bit Of dull glass, or quartz,
shining, and a thrill came over him, as he
knew now that she had given him her largest
jewel of all as her parting gift.
Robert Faversham came nearer, his hand
cutstretched for-it, - a.
81 cannot give you this" said Raymond, In
low voice, and then the door behind him
opened, and Hilda came towards him.
She had only just come in, and, taking off
her hat in the next room, had heard his voice
through the folding doors, and some of her
fathers last speech as well.
Raymond" she said with quick catch in
her voice. and light in the violet-blue eyes
that met his; then she turned towards her
father, with world of reproach in her face.
Father, how can you shame me SOP" she
said, in low tone, that thrilled one listener
to the heart, while his eyes drank in the
weary look on her fair face, and the dark
rings round her eyes. Father, you surely
should have been in that lost boat, from
which every soul drowned; but for his
care and self-sacrifice I could never have
reached friends, even had got safely ashore
and all this you reward by such a horrible
suspicon-by calling him a theft!
Look!" said her father, doggedly. 'He
wears one of your diamonds. And have not
the slightest hesitation in saying that he has
the rest and his saving your life was not
such very disinterested proceeding, after
all. Hilda, my dear, you forget that in those
days you were very valuable bit Of salvage
for a sailor to pick up-the reward would, no
doubt, be high one"
The hot color had surged over Hilda's face
and throat, and her eyes were shame stricken
Father-oh, father! you are mad OF you
would not say such things-to him, of all
meE!' she said, in choked voice; then as
Raymond stood STILL with his fingers round
the charm on his chain, she came and laid
her hand upon his Sleeve Raymond you
must forgive u.s. she said, appealingly 'My
father has seen such trouble lately And
never dreamed when gave you my diamond
that it would lead to such a fearful insult
being offered you. l had better explain to
you now.
My cousin Jem and I were very foolish, I
own and we were amusing ourselves with
nugget of gold he had himself found in one
OF the mines, and he made it soft enough to