Year: 1869

even uttered vague threats of vengeance
but De Roos never lost his equanimity.


Keep cool, my boy. Pm sorry, and all
that sort of thing. Don't want to make a
cent ont of you 'Tisn't likely it's melted,
vet; and if you really want it, I'll send
down and get it back for you. Come
| in tomorrow at three. Now, don't get
mad. Be decent and have another Havana.
Thought you knew what you were about,
| you know"


So consented to smoke and be pacifed,
and finally went away in the full assurance
that had really Inever met better fel-
low than De RoOs. the fashionable "dia-
mond broker"


Faithfully to the hour, was on hand the
next day as the clock struck three. Having
now no time piece of my own, / had lear a.
ed to appreciate clocks. both public and
private. A lurking feeling of uneasiness
may account for the fact that ad not
called on the De Silvers during the pre-
vious evening.


Was promptly on hand, as said, at the
door of The elegant office Of my elegant
friend, the diamond broker; but, some
what to my astOnishment, that door would
by no means yield to my repeated at
tempts to open it. In short, it was
locked.


Gone out for a moment" 1 muttered.
"Well, I'll wait"


was quietly proceeding to do so. when
suddenly found myself roughly collared
by somebody sin a state of excitement,
while trembling voice demanded,


you scoundrel, you are one of his set
I've seen you with him. Where is he }
And where is Matilds?"


After moment of utter bewilderment
managed to recognize in my unlocked
for assailant the parental De Silver him
self-the banker-and stammered out a
half-choked declaration of my utter ig-
norance.


"You lie Sir! He's gonel Mstilds's
gone with him? He's got all the money !!
You come with me to the house ! Come
right along nOw%


Any lily of any valley could have offer
ed more resistance than l did, for felt
that was acquiring valuable information,
and went along with the banker. He
talked necessarily, and speedily became
aware that the money used Dy De Roos in
his extensive transactions as diamond
broker" had been furnished from the very
respectable Golfers of Matilda's father
Business had been good of late, and both
loans and deposits had been quite large
enough to suggest to the elegant young
financier a master stroke in his own pecu
liar line. Beyond doubt no amount of
interest" would now suffice to redeem
that precious jewel of daughter, and De
Roos had taken Care to secure her portion
in advance. After all, he had only, in re-
ality, married the daughter Cf his partner
in business-in somewhat quiet way.
| remembered about the diamonds at
the party, and was now quite persuaded
that they were real


When we arrived at the house we found
it in a certain degree Of well-regulated
confusion, and Madame, the mother of
the vanished Matilda, in very impressive
state of weeping and distraction but
what interested me most was pale face
that l met in the hall. 1t was that of
Clara Payne; and I heard her mutter, in
voice whose halfdespairing tone well
remembered:


"Gone? And had 80 counted on her
promise ?"


1t flashed upon me that another months
rent was over due. The money that
should have redeemed my grandfather's
watch was burning in my pocket; and
as thrust it into her hand 1 said to her:


"YOu have proved yourself good pay,
Miss Payne; you won't run away with
anybody. Just take that and run away
out of this"


This time she actually did smile in my
face, but she hurried away without
word.


1t took some time to convince the old
banker that | was not an accomplice of
De Roos; and, though he had to pay too
much money on the failure" of his sud-
den sOn-in-law ever to pardon him, he
he found that had not done anything.
In fact, the shape his pardon took has
been worth something to me. AS for
Clara Payne, have seen her since several
times. In fact, see her every time 60
hOme.-HarperS Weekly.