d said:

"I'm about out of my mind, Miss Bab. There's trouble coming to this
Familey, and it keeps on going to dinners and disregarding all hints."

"What sort of trouble?". I asked, in a flutering voice. For if she knew
and told I would not recieve the reward, or not solely.

"I think you know," she rejoined, in a suspicous tone. "And that you
should assist in such a thing, Miss Bab, is a great Surprize to me. I
have considered you flitey, but nothing more."

She then slapped a cup custard down in front of me and went away,
leaving me very nervous. Did she know of the Theif, or was she merely
refering to the car, which she might have guest from grease on my
clothes, which would get there in spite of being carful, especialy when
changing a tire?

Well, I have now come to the horrable events of that night, at writing
which my pen almost refuses. To have dreamed and hoped for a certain
thing, and then by my own actions to frustrate it was to be my fate.

"Oh God! that one might read the book of fate!" Shakspeare.

As I felt that, when everything was over, the people would come in from
the Club and the other country places to see the captured Crimenal, I
put on one of the frocks which mother had ordered and charged to me on
that Allowence which was by that time NON EST. (Latin for dissapated. I
use dissapated in the sense of spent, and not debauchery.) By that time
it was nine o'clock, and Tom had not come, nor even telephoned. But I
felt this way. If he was going to be jealous it was better to know it
now, rather than when to late and perhaps a number of offspring.

I sat on the Terrace and waited, knowing full well that it was to soon,
but nervous anyhow. I had before that locked all the library windows but
the one with the X on the sketch, also putting a nail at the top so he
could not open them and escape. And I had the key of the library door
and my trusty weapon under a cushion, loaded--the weapon, of course, not
the key.

I then sat down to my lonely Vigil.

At eleven P. M. I saw a sureptitious Figure coming across the lawn, and
was for a moment alarmed, as he might be coming while the Familey and
the jewels, and so on, were still at the Club.

But it was only Carter Brooks, who said he had invited himself to stay
all night, and the Club was sickning, as all the old people were playing
cards and the young ones were paired and he was an odd man.

He then sat down on the cushion with the revolver under it