s, and was glad to be rid of it. He only kept watch of
them till they disappeared up the hill, and then returned to tell Lady
Foljambe the direction which they had taken.

Kate's mind was considerably exercised. As Ivo had remarked, her wits
were by no means of the first quality, but her conceit and love of
admiration far outstripped them. The little jeweller had seen this, and
had guessed that she would best answer his purpose of the younger
members of the household. Quiet, sensible Joan, the upper chambermaid,
would not have suited him at all; neither would sturdy, straightforward
Meg, the cook-maid; but Kate's vanity and indiscretion were both so
patent that he fixed on her at once as his chosen accomplice. His only
doubt was whether she had sense enough to understand his hint about
being under the bush at sunset. Ivo provided himself with a showy
brooch of red glass set in gilt copper, which Kate was intended to
accept as gold and rubies; and leaving his pack under the care of his
fellow conspirator--for Ivo was really the pedlar which Roland was not--
he slipped back to Hazelwood, and shortly before the sun set was
prowling about in the neighbourhood of the bush which stood just outside
the gate of Hazelwood Manor. Before he had been there many minutes, a
light, tripping footstep was heard; and poor, foolish Kate, with the
blue drops in her ears, came like a giddy fly into the web of Ivo the
spider.

CHAPTER NINE.

MISCHIEF.

"I've nothing to do with better and worse--I haven't to judge for the
rest:
If other men are not better than I am, they are bad enough at the
best."

When Ivo thought proper to see Kate approaching, he turned with an
exclamation of hyperbolical admiration. He knew perfectly the type of
woman with whom he had to deal. "Ah, it is den you, fair maid? You be
fair widout dem, but much fairer wid de ear-rings, I you assure. Ah, if
you had but a comely ouche at your t'roat, just dere,"--and Ivo laid a
fat brown finger at the base of his own--"your beauty would be perfect--
perfect!"

"Lack-a-day, I would I had!" responded silly Kate; "but ouches and such
be not for the likes of me."

"How? Say no such a ting! I know of one jewel, a ruby of de best, and
de setting of pure gold, fit for a queen, dat might be had by de maid
who would give herself one leetle pain to tell me only one leetle ting,
dat should harm none; but you care not, I dare say, to trouble you-self
so