elder sister upon her marriage. I am not rich enough to invest large
sums of money in the purchase of precious stones, yet, on the other hand,
your mother and I feel that if you are to wear jewels at all, we should
like you to wear something of historic value, jewels which are associated
with the history of your own house. Allow me!"

He leaned forward. With long, capable fingers he fastened the necklace
around his daughter's neck. It fell upon her bosom, sparkling, a little
circular stream of fire against the background of her smooth, white skin.
Ella could scarcely speak. Her fingers caressed the jewels.

"It is our farewell present to you," Lord Ashleigh declared. "I need not
beg you to take care of them. I do not wish to dwell upon their value.
Money means, naturally, little to you, and when I tell you that a firm in
London offered me sixty thousand pounds for them for an American client, I
only mention it so that you may understand that they are likely to be
appreciated in the country to which you are going."

She clasped his hands.

"Father," she cried, "you are too good to me! It is all too wonderful. I
shall be afraid to wear them."

Lord Ashleigh smiled reassuringly.

"My dear," he said, "you will be quite safe. I should advise you to keep
them, as a rule, in the strong box which you will doubtless find in the
hotel to which you are going. But for all ordinary occasions you need
feel, I am convinced, no apprehension. You can understand now, I dare say,
another reason why I am sending Macdougal with you as well as Lenora."

Ella, impelled by some curious impulse which she could not quite
understand, glanced quickly around to where the man-servant was standing.
For once she had caught him unawares. For once she saw something besides
the perfect automaton. His eyes, instead of being fixed at the back of his
master's chair, were simply riveted upon the stones. His mouth was a
little indrawn. To her there was a curious change in his expression. His
cheekbones seemed to have become higher. The pupils of his eyes had
narrowed. Even while she looked at him, he moistened a little his dry lips
with the tip of his tongue. Then, as though conscious of her observation,
all these things vanished. He advanced to the table, respectfully refilled
his master's glass from the decanter of port, and retreated again. Ella
withdrew her eyes. A queer little feeling of uneasiness disturbed her for
the moment. It passed, however,