The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-10-17
CHAPTER xIx..-continued.

CHAPTER xIx..-continued.
You say you know how we met
at the hotel Mr.. Dundas and T." {
went on. ut Ill explain to you now
the inner meaning Of It all. which even
you can't have found out. Mr.. Dun
das was to have brought me my let
ters,-half dozen. He gave me a
leather case, which he took from an
inner breast-pocket saying the letters
were in 1t. But the room was dark.
Something had gone wrong with the
electricity, and 1 hadn't let hin, push
back the curtains. for fear might be
seen from outside. ~ the lights should
suddenly come on. He didn't see the
case. as lie handed 1t to me. nor could
!. Just at that instant there was
knock at the door; and quick as
thought, pushed the leather case
down between the seat and back OF tae
sofa
But what reason had you to sup
pose that any danger of discovery
threatened you, because OF a knock at
the door?"
"Iil tell you. There is mani won't
mention his name. but you know it
very well. and may be 1t Is In your
mind now--who wants me TO marry
him. He has wanted 1t for some
time-I think because he admires wo-
men who are before the public and
applauded by the world; also. perhaps.
because have refused him. and he is
one who wants most what he finds
hardest to get. He Is not a scrupu-
lous person, but he has some power,
and good deal OF influence. because
lie Is very highly connected. and when
people have axes to grind he helps
u grind them. He has suspected for
some time that I cared for NJ. du
Laurier and for that. he has hated
RaouL have fancied that he hired
detectives to spy upon me; and my In
stinct as we'll as common sense told
me that he would let no chance slip
He would work mischief between us
or he would try to ruin Raoul or
crush me-anything to keep US apart.
When ! saw til Cnmmissary of Po-
lice, I was hardly surprised. and
though didn't know what pretex,
had brought him. ! said to myself.
That Is the work Of
perhaps better not mention the
name. Mademoiselle."
II didn't mean to. leave that to
This is the work
OF the man whose love is more cruel
than hate / thought. While / won
could make of my letters. was snak-
ing with terror lest they should come
upon them and they should somehow
fall into-a certain man hands. rhen.
at last, they did find the case, just
as I'd begun to hope 1t was safe.
begged the Commissary of Police not
to open it-in vain.
chen he did, what was my relief
to see the diamond necklace you
must have heard of!-my relief and
my surprise. And now I'm going to
confide in you the secret OF another
speaking to you as my friend, and a
man OF honor.
Those Jewels had been stolen only
I Laurter, and he was In despair at their
loss. for they belonged to a dear friend
of his-an inveterate gambler, but an
adorable woman. She dared not tell
her husband of money that she'd lost,
but begged Raoul to sell the diamonds
for her in Amsterdam and have them
replaced BY paste. On his way there,
thief, who must somehow have learned
what was going on through the pawn
broker with whom the Jewels had been
in pledge-for a few thousands pounds
only. You can imagine my astonish-
ment at seeing the necklace returned
in such a miraculous way. I thought
that Ivor Dundas must have got 1t
back, meaning to give 1t to me us a
asurprise-and the letters afterwards.
And it was only to keep the letters
out of the affair altogether at any
lprice-evidences in black and white Of
my silly flirtation-and also to avoid
any association of Raoul's name with
the necklace, that told the Commas
sary of Police the diamonds were a
present from my lover. spoke im-
pulsively, In sheer desperation; ana
the instant the words We're out Of my
mouth I would have cut off my hand
to take back the stupid falschood, But
what good TO deny what i had Just
me,
when the police had gone, asked,
Mr.. Dundas for my letters. But he
thought he had given them to me-
and he knew no more Of the diamonds
in their red case, than ] dld-far less,
indeed. Eli
II was distracted to find that my.
letters had dlsappeared, though ] was
thankful for Raouls sake to have the
necklace. MI Dundas believed that
his own leather case with the letters
must have been stolen from his pocket
In the train though he couldn't Inn
aglne why the diamonds had been
given to him instead, But he sus-.
pected q travelling companion Of his.
who had acted queerly; and he deter
mined to try and find the man. He
was to BRING me news after the the
atre at my house, about midnight.
"He came fifteen minutes later, hav-
Ing been detained at his hotel, Friends
Of his had unexpectedly arrived, He
had Just time to tell me this. and that
after going out on false sca2t he
had employed a detective named
Girnrd. when Monsieur du Laurier ar
rived unexpectedly. If IT seems, he'd
been made frantically jealous by some
misrepresentation of-the man whose
name we haven't mentioned, I bergedi
Mr. pund to hide In my houdotr.
I3did. to please me. 4 hoped he would