sed his brows, then his laugh rang out with a somewhat
satirical merriment.

"And this from you! You admit in fiction the exact truths that you deny
in life."

"But your lady was tricked into marriage in the first place," responded
Conscience with spirit. "You show me half the reason that woman had and
I'll start my lawyer filing a petition the same day. I'll go further
than that." Her eyes were twinkling since she meant to treat all these
allusions so lightly as to disarm his own seriousness. "As a
self-inflicted penalty I'll marry you."

"I wonder if you would."

"On my word of honor, and meanwhile our tea is getting cold. One lump,
isn't it?"

He nodded; then, as he watched the deftness with which her hands made a
pretty ceremony of pouring tea, he inquired: "Have I seen that ring
before--the opal with diamonds?"

"I don't believe you have. Eben gave it to me last Christmas."

"And you're not afraid of the opal's ill-luck?"

"I love them enough to take the chance. Haven't I ever shown you my
others--there's quite a collection of them."

"No."

"They're in the safe. I'll get Eben to open it as soon as Mr. Hagan
leaves."

Teasingly the man inquired, "Doesn't your husband trust you with the
combination?"

Conscience flushed. Her companion had touched a sensitive nerve. This
was one of the details that went into the summary of Eben's excluding
her from his business life, and it had hurt her.

"I can't ever master it somehow," she evaded, and as she spoke Eben
Tollman ushered Mr. Hagan out upon the terrace.

As stranger and host passed out Stuart fancied that he detected in
Tollman's manner a certain eagerness to speed the parting guest and when
the visitor had gone, Eben withdrew at once to his sanctum, declining a
cup of tea. The bad half hour had shaken him and sent his thoughts
coursing in channels of apprehension. The past was refusing to lie dead
and he found himself thinking of what might occur if two wisely
intercepted letters should ever fall into the wrong hands.

They lay securely immured in the safe, but he had overheard the teasing
reference to his withholding, from his wife, the combination--and it
vexed his anxiety. He treasured these trophies of his acumen and
victory, but palpably the time had arrived for their sacrifice.

He reconsidered an impulse to lock himself in. Once to-day he had
apologized for inadvertently throwing on the catch and a repetition
would seem pointed. The lette