see you there, Miss Burrage."

"Oh, bother your 'Miss Burrage!'" she exclaimed. "You know it was Inza
with you long ago--you promised to call me that. No wonder you didn't
see me; you were going past with your head down, your eyes on the
ground, and an expression of profound abstraction on your face. What
in the world were you thinking of?"

"That's a mystery," said Frank, approaching the gate.

"Indeed!" and she lifted her eyebrows with a pretty Assumption of
offended dignity. "A secret from me?"

"I did not say it was a secret; I said it was a mystery. I was
thinking of the man in black."

"Mercy!" She gave a little shiver. "What is the man in black--some
horrible ogre?"

"Well, I fancy he is ogre enough to give you the chills."

"What story did you find him in?"

"Oh, I didn't find him in a story; I met him in real life. I left him
a few minutes ago."

"This is interesting!" she laughed. "Who is he? What's his name?"

"I don't know. Didn't I say he is a mystery?"

"Come, Frank, are you trying to tease me?"

"Not at all. I will tell you all I know about this singular man in
black."

Then, leaning gracefully against one of the iron gateposts, he related
his recent adventure with the unpleasant stranger. She listened with
breathless interest, her eyes growing wider and wider, and an
expression of alarm coming to her pretty face.

"Oh, Frank!" she exclaimed, when he had finished; "I know this terrible
man is dangerous! He will do you harm!"

"Oh, I'm not afraid of that," declared the boy, lightly; "but I would
give something to know what there is about this ring that makes him so
desirous of possessing it."

He held up the ring for her to examine. It was an oddly twisted band
of gold, looking like a writhing serpent. It was set with a peculiar
black stone that seemed quite as hard as a diamond, for all that there
were numerous marks and scratches on its smooth surface.

"It is a horrid ugly old ring," declared Inza. "Anybody must be crazy
to offer fifty dollars for it."

"Unless it bears some value that is not apparent to one who does not
know its secret."

"What value can it bear?"

"That is the mystery. Still, from my mother's words, I am sure my
father prized this ring highly. When it came into his possession he
was in Southern California or Mexico, and he sent it home to my mother
at the earliest opportunity, writing her to be very choice of it, and
not to lose it on her l