Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-10-20
Copyright. 1907, by
c. N. and A. NJ. WILLIAMSON
All Rights Reserved.

! save him. from gratitude. If not from
! love"
It's true l owe him a debt of graft
tude, deeper than you know" | answered.
/ He is worth trusting-worth saving. at
/ the expense OF almost any sacrifice. But
I l can't sacrifice the man love for him"
! She looked thoughtful You say the
man you were engaged to was at your
house while Ivor was there
Yes. He came there. l hid Ivor. and
l lied.
| He suspected that some one was with
you? He stood watching. outside your
gate?"
HE confessed that when I'd made him
repent his jealousy. Why do you ask?
You saw him.
Il think 50, Tell me. Mademoiselle de
Renzie did he lose anything of value
near your house?''
| Great heavens. yes,' l cried what
| do you know of that?'
.! know-something. Enough. maybe.
to help you to find the thing for him-if
you will promise to help Ivor.''
"Oh. shame" l cried, violently. sick OF
bargains and promises. You are trying
to bride me-.
| Yes. but 1 am not ashamed the girl
answered. holding her head high. Il
have not the thing which was lost, but
| can get Ii for you-this very night or to-
morrow morning. IL you will do what l
ask"
II tell you cannot" said. Not even
| to get back that thing whose loss was the
| beginning of all my misery. 1vor would
| not wish me to ruin myself and-another.
Mr.. Dundas must be saved without me.
! Please go. II We talked Of this together
| all night 1t could make no difference.
And I'm in great trouble. great trouble OF
my own.
Has your trouble anything to do with
document" Miss Forrest slowly
asked
l started and stared at her. breathless.
1T has, she answered for me. Your
face tells me So"
HAS Ivors message-to do with that"
l almost gasped.
Perhaps But he had no good news OF
1t to give you. If you want news-if you
want the document, 1t must be through
me-
Anything anything on earth you like
to ask for the document. IL you can get 1T
for me. l will do pleaded, all my pride
and anger gone.
Dundas was in your house from little
after midnight until after one. VIII you
do that"
II must" said, III you have the docu-
ment to SELL and are determined to sell
it at no other price. But If do what you
ask, it will spoil my life. for it will kill
my lovers love, when he knows / have
lied to him. Still, 1t will save him
from" l stopped and bit my lip. will
you give me the diamonds. too?" l asked,
humbly enough now.
The diamonds?" She looked be-
wildered.
THE diamonds In the brocade bag Oh.
surely they are still in the bag?"
Yes. they are-they will be in the bag"
the girl answered. her charming mouth
suddenly resOlute, though her eyes were
troubled. you shall have the diamonds,
and the document. too. for that one
promise
How is 1t possible that you can give
me the document" / asked. half suspc-
ious. for that it should come to me after
all l had endured because of it seemed
too good to be true; that it should come
through this girl seemed incredible.
"Ivor sent me to find it, and I found
it, she said simply THAT was why I
couldn't come to you before. l had to
get the document. l didn't quite know
how 1 was to do 1t at first, because l had
no one to help or advise me. and Ivor said
it was under some flower-pots in a box on
the balcony of the room where the man
was murdered l was sure l wouldn't be
allowed TO get into the room itself, so it
seemed difficult. But / thought 1t all
out. and hired room for the evening in
house next door, pretending 1 was
New York journalist. l had to wait until
after dark, and then l climbed across
| from one balcony to the other. 1t wasn't
| as easy to do as it looked from the pho
| tograph l saw. because it was so high up.
| and the balconies were quite far apart
| after all. But 1 couldn't fail Ivor and I
| got across Inc rest was nOLnlnS-SScepI
| the climbing back. l don't know how the
document came in the box. though | sup
pose Ivor put it there to hide it from the
police. 1t was wrapped up in towel.
and its quite clean
II think" l said slowly, when she had
finished her story, that you have a right
to set high price on that document.
You are a brave girl
It's not much to be brave for a man
you love. is it? And now I'm going to
give the thing to you, because / trust you.
Mademoiselle de Renzie. l know you'll
pay. And I hope, oh. l feel, it won't
hurt you as you think it will"
Then, as If 1t had been some ordinary
paper. she whipped from long pocket OF
coat she wore, the treaty. She put 1T
into my hand. I felt it. l clasped it, 1
could have kissed it. The very touch of
| 1t made me tremble.
DO you know what this is. Miss For
rest?' | asked.
No she said. 1T was yours. or Ivor's.
| OF course I didn't look
/ And then there came the rap, rap, Of
| the callboy at the door. The fifteen min
utes We're over. But l had the treaty.
And l had to pay its price.
CTo be concluded next Sunday.)