t before; men are so
obstinate."

"Pardon me, Miss Yerba," said the Judge, blandly, "would you mind
showing it to me, if it is not too much trouble?"

"Not at all," said Yerba, smiling, and detaching the circlet from her
neck. "I'm afraid you'll find it rather old-fashioned."

"That's just what I hope to find it," said Judge Baker, with a
triumphant glance at his wife. "It was eight years ago when I saw it
in Tucker's jewelry shop. I wanted to buy it for my little Minnie, but
as the price was steep I hesitated, and when I did make up my mind he
had disposed of it to another customer. Yes," he added, examining the
necklace which Yerba had handed to him. "I am certain it is the same:
it was unique, like this. Odd, isn't it?"

Everybody said it WAS odd, and looked upon the occurrence with that
unreasoning satisfaction with which average humanity receives the most
trivial and unmeaning coincidences. It was left to Don Caesar to give
it a gallant application.

"I have not-a the pleasure of knowing-a the Miss Minnie, but the
jewelry, when she arrives, to the throat-a of Miss Yerba, she has not
lost the value--the beauty--the charm."

"No," said Woods, cheerily. "The fact is, Baker, you were too slow.
Miss Yerba's folks gobbled up the necklace while you were thinking.
You were a new-comer. Old 'forty-niners' did not hesitate over a thing
they wanted."

"You never knew who was your successful rival, eh?" said Dona Anna,
turning to Judge Baker with a curious glance at Paul's pale face in
passing.

"No," said Baker, "but"--he stopped with a hesitating laugh and some
little confusion. "No, I've mixed it up with something else. It's so
long ago. I never knew, or if I did I've forgotten. But the necklace
I remember." He handed it back to Yerba with a bow, and the incident
ended.

Paul had not looked at Yerba during this conversation, an unreasoning
instinct that he might confuse her, an equally unreasoning dread that
he might see her confused by others, possessing him. And when he did
glance at her calm, untroubled face, that seemed only a little
surprised at his own singular coldness, he was by no means relieved.
He was only convinced of one thing. In the last five minutes he had
settled upon the irrevocable determination that his present relations
with the girl could exist no longer. He must either tell her
everything, or see her no more. There was no middle course. She was
on the brink of an exposur