The Irish standard., 1908-11-21
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stored away: but nov" they Iw61id
never be reset, even should he con-
trive to reassemble them, to adorn the
bride Of the Maitland heir. For he
would never marry. OF course not.
Maitland was young enough to be-
lieve, and to extract melancholy sat
ifcation from, this.
Puzzled and saddened, his mind
harked back forever to that carking
question: Why had she returned?
What had brought her back to the
nat? II she and Anisty were confed-
crates, as one was inclined at times to
believe-if such were the case, Anisty
had the Jewels, and there was nothing
else of any particular value so per-
sistently to entice such expert and &C.
complished burglars back to his nat.
What else had they required Of him?
His peace Of mind was nothing that
they could turn into cash; and they
seemed to have reaved him of nothing
else.
But they had that; unquestionably
they had taken that.
And still the riddle haunted him:
Why had she como back that night?
And, whatever her reason, had she
come in Anisty's company, or alone?
One minute 1t seemed patent beyond
dispute that the girl and the great
plunderer were hand-in-glove; the next
minute Maitland was positively as.
sured that their recent meeting had
been altogether an accident. From
what he had heard over the telephone,
he had believed them to be quarreling,
although ut the time he had assigned
to O'Hagan the masculine side Of the
dispute. But certainly there must
have arisen some difference Of opin-
ion between Anisty and the girl to
have drawn from her that frantic neg
ative Maitland had heard, to have
been responsible for the overturning
Of the chair-an accident that seemed
to argue something in the nature of a
physical struggle; the chair itself lay
upon its side, mute witness to hasty
and careless movement on somebody's
part.
But It was all inexplicable. Event
ually Maitland shook his head, to sig
nifty that he gave it up. There was
but one thing to do-to put it out Of
mind. He would read q bit, compose
himself, go to bed.
Preliminary to doing so. he would
take steps to insure the fiat against
further burglarizing, for that night at
least. The draught moving through
the hall stirred the portiere and re-
minded him that the window ia the
trunkroom was still open, an invita-
tion to any enterprising sneak.thief or
gecond-story man. So Maitland went
to close and make It fast.
Az he shut down the window-sash
and clamped the catch he trod on
something soft and yielding. Wonder.
ing, he stopped and picked it UP, and
carried 1t back to the light. It proved
to be the girls handbag.
"Now," admitted Maitland in a tone
Of absolute candor. II am damned.
How In the dickens did this thing get
there, anyway? What was she doing
in my trunk closet?"
Was It possible that she had fol-
lowed Anisty out of the nat by that
route? A very much mystifled young
man sat himself down again in front
Of his desk, and turned the bag over
and over In his hands. keenly scrutin-
izing every inch Of It, and whistling
softly.
That year the fashion in purses was
for capacious receptacles Of grained
leather, nearly square in shape, and
furnished with chain handle. This
which Maitland held was conspicu-
ously Of the mode-neither too large,
nor too small, constructed Of fine soft
leather Of gun-metal shade, with a
framework and chain of gun.metal
itself. It was new and seemed we'll
filled, Weighing tribe heavy in the
hand. One face was adorned with a
monogram of cut gun-metal, the in
itials IS" and &c" and IL" interlaced.
But beyond this the bag was irritat.
ingly non.committal.
Undoubtedly, If one were to go to
the length Of unsnapping the little,
1Edll Clasp, Ou0 WOulU 0CQulI0 luAOE1ua-
ton; by such facile means would much
light be shed upon the darkness. But
Maitland put decided negative to the
suggestion.
No. He would give her the benefit
of the doubt. He would wait, he would
school himself to patience. Perhaps
she would come back for it-and OF.
plain. Perhaps he could find her by
advertising it-and get an explana,
ton. Pending which, he could wait
a little while. 1t was not his wish to
pry into her secrets, even if-even If
It was something to be smoked over.
Strange how 1t affected him to have
in his hands something that she had
owned and touched!
Opening a drawer Of the desk. Matt
land produced an aged pipe. A brazen
jar, companion piece to the ash re-
ceiver, held his tobacco. He filed the
pipe from the jar, with thoughtful de-
liberation. And scraped a match be-
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