The San Francisco call., 1906-09-16

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While examining the box Hagar
noticed that the gold plate of the case
within was raised some little distances
above the outside portion. There ap-
peared to her shrewd eyes to be a
space between the base Of the casket
and the inner box OF gold. Ever on
the alert to discover mysteries. Hagar
believed that in this toy there was a
secret drawer, which no doubt opened
by a concealed spring At once she set
to work searching for this spring.
1T is very cleverly hidden" she mur-
INJURED. having been baf1ed for long
time; hut secret recess there is, and
l intend to find It. Who knows but
what I may stumble on the evidence Of
some old Florentine tragedy. like that
OF the Crueihx of Fiesole?"
Her fingers were slender and nimbles
and had wonderfully delicate sense
OF feeling in their narrow tips. She
ran them lightly over the raised work
of beaten silver, pressing the laughing
heads Of the fauns and nymphs For
some time she was unsuccessful, until
by chance she touched delicately mod
eled rose which was carven on the CEN
tral altar OF one side. At once there
was a slight click and the silver slab
with its sculptured figures fell down
ward on a hinge. AS she had sur
missed. the box was divided within into
two unequal portions: the upper one,
visible when the ordinary lid was lifted,
was empty. as has been said but in
the narrowness of the lower receptacle,
between the false and the real bottoms
OF the box, there was a slim packet.
Pleased with her discovery-which cer-
tainly did credit to her acute intelli-
gence-Hagar drew out the papers.
Here is my Florentine tragedy" said
she with glee, and proceeded to ex-
anime her treasure trove.
It did not take her long to discover
that the letters-for they were letters,
five or six, tied up with rose hued rib
bor-were not fifteenth century, but
very late nineteenth; that they were
not written in Italian, but in English.
Penned in graceful female handwrit-
ing upon scented paper-a perfume
OF yiolets clung to them still-these
letters were full OF passionate and un-
disciplined love- Hagar only read one.
but IT was sufficient to see that she had
stumbled upon an intrigue between a
married woman and a man No address
was given, as each letter began un-
alteration. continuing in such style
from beginning TO end, where the Sig
nature appended was Beatrice In
the first one which Hagar read-and
which was a sample of the rest-the
writer lamented her marriage, ragged
that she was bound to a dull husband,
and called upon her dearest Paul
evidently the inamorato's name-to de-
liver her. The passion, the fierce
sensual love which burned in every line
OF this married woman's epistles, dis
gusted Hagar not a little. Her pure
and virginia. soul shrank back from
the abyss revealed by this lustful
alteration; trembled at the glimpse it
obtained of a hidden life. There was.
indeed. no tragedy in these letters as
yet. but it might be-with such a
woman who had penned them-that
they would become the prelude to one
In every line there was divorce
What liar that valet is." thought
Hagar, as she tied the letters up again.
This casket was left to him as leg
apy was 10 A. ff a ,,a,, -,,a..f5 s.-.
such compromising letters to the dis
cretion Of scoundrel like Peters, No.
no; ! am sure he doesn't know OF this
secret place, or OF the existence of these
letters. He stole this casket from his
master. and did not know that 1t was
used to hide these epistles from mar
ried woman. I'll keep the casket safe
ly. and see what comes of it when Mr..
Peters returns"
But she did not put the letters back
in their secret recess. It might be
that the valet would return before the
conclusion Of the month; and II she
were out OF the shop at the time her
assistant would give back the casket.
Hagar felt that IL would be wrong TO
let the letters get into the hands of so
unscrupulous A scoundrel as she be-
lieved Peters to be. Did he find out the
secret OF the hiding place. and the let
ters were within. he was quite capable
Of making capital out of them at the
expense OF the unhappy woman or his
own master. He had the face of a
blackmailer; SO Hagar reclosed the cas-
ket and put away the letters in the big
safe IN the parlor.
she is a light woman-a bad wo-
man" she thought. thinking of that
Beatrice who had written those glow
ing letters--"and deserves punishment
for having deceived her husband. But
/ won't give her into the power of that
reptile; he would only fatten on her
agony. II he comes back for the cas-
ket he shall have it. but without those
letters
Hagar did not think for moment
that Peters knew of the existence of
these epistles, else In place of pawnsng
the box he would have levied blackmail
on the wretched Beatrice or her lover.
But when in two weeks-long before
the conclusion of the month--the valet
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