a sardonic smile.

"An easy guess," she retorted. "I write him every day."

The fencing master gave a sigh as he exclaimed:

"Ah, such devotion is truly beautiful! Why have I never known such
love as that?"

"Perhaps you never deserved it!" she retorted.

Mr. Parker chuckled.

"That's what we in the American vernacular call 'a knock-out.'"

Helen laughed lightly. There was a swish of silken petticoats, and she
disappeared in an alcove, where she sat down at a desk. Keralio looked
after her with undisguised admiration and puffed his cigar in silence
for a few moments. Then he said:

"It's a big job which you and Traynor are doing out there in South
Africa. I see by the papers that you've already made some valuable
finds."

He appeared unconcerned, and looked narrowly at his _vis a vis_ to see
what effect his words had on him, possibly to draw him out. But Mr.
Parker was too old a bird to be caught napping, even by a clever
adventurer. Instantly on his guard, he said carelessly:

"The outlook is very bright, very promising indeed. Our stockholders
are quite satisfied, and it is likely that we shall make good money.
But of course everything is in the experimental stage as yet."

"But you have found diamonds--big diamonds?"

"Oh, yes," replied the president with affected carelessness; "we have
picked up a few stones. As I told you, the prospects are very
promising."

"But haven't you recently made some extraordinary finds?"

Mr. Parker shook his head.

"No--nothing worth mentioning.'"

Keralio smiled skeptically.

"Isn't your memory somewhat at fault, cher monsieur? Surely you
haven't forgotten the two stones of enormous size just picked up--finds
of sensational importance. The newspapers have been full of the story."

Mr. Parker made a deprecatory gesture.

"Pshaw! My dear sir, you ought to know what newspaper talk is worth!
No yarn is too fantastic to print so long as it sells their papers. We
found two stones of fair size, it is true, but to say that they are of
priceless value is a gross exaggeration."

The Italian eyed his companion closely. Significantly he said:

"They're valuable enough, however, to justify you in refusing to trust
their shipment to ordinary channels and in going to the expense of
sending to South Africa one of your officers to whom is confided the
task of bringing the gems home."

"How did you know that?" demanded Mr. Parker, surprised.

"There is very