proceeded to tie up again with the old tape. "I am sure I saw it the
other day," he said, fingering among the loose papers while Nina looked
on with anxious eyes. Then at last he found the letter from Karil
Zamenoy, and having read it himself, gave it her to read. It was dated
seven or eight years back, at a time when Balatka was only on his way
to ruin--not absolutely ruined, as was the case with him now--and
contained an offer on Zamenoy's part to give safe custody to certain
documents which were named, and among which the deed now sought for
stood first.

"And has he got all those other papers?" Nina asked.

"No! he has none of them, unless he has this. There is nothing left but
this one that the Jew wants."

"And uncle Karil has never given that back?"

"Never."

"And it should belong to Stephen Trendellsohn?"

"Yes, I suppose it should."

"Who can wonder, then, that they should be anxious and inquire after
it, and make a noise about it? Will not the law make uncle Karil give
it up?"

"How can the law prove that he has got it? I know nothing about the
law. Put them all back again." Then Nina replaced the papers and locked
the desk. She had, at any rate, been absolutely and entirely successful
in her diplomacy, and would be able to assure Anton Trendellsohn, of
her knowledge, that that which he sought was not in her father's
keeping.

On the same day she went out to sell her necklace. She waited till
it was nearly dark--till the first dusk of evening had come upon the
street--and then she crossed the bridge and hurried to a jeweller's
shop in the Grosser Ring which she had observed, and at which she knew
such trinkets as hers were customarily purchased. The Grosser Ring
is an open space--such as we call a square--in the oldest part of the
town, and in it stand the Town Hall and the Theinkirche, which may be
regarded as the most special church in Prague, as there for many years
were taught the doctrines of Huss, the great Reformer of Bohemia.
Here, in the Grosser Ring, there was generally a crowd of an evening,
as Nina knew, and she thought that she could go in and out of the
jeweller's shop without observation. She believed that she might be
able to borrow money on her treasure, leaving it as a deposit; and
this, if possible, she would do. There were regular pawnbrokers in the
town, by whom no questions would be made, who, of course, would lend
her money in the ordinary way of their trade; but she believe