with the girl, she made little effort to conceal her
hatred.

"Why do you wish to see my son?" she asked, harshly. "To try to get him
to condone the atrocious wrong of which you have been guilty? Your
audacity amazes me!"

"I have said that I am innocent!" said the girl, and she rose slowly to
her feet.

"Never, with my consent, will he ever speak to you again! Do you hear
me? I would curse him if he did.

"And it would not stop at that," went on Mrs. Varrick. "I would cut him
off without a dollar, and turn him into the streets a beggar! That would
soon bring him to his senses. Ay, I would do all that and more, if he
were even to speak to you again. So you can see for yourself the
position you would place him in by holding the least conversation with
him."

"He shall not suffer because of me!" sobbed Jessie Bain. "I will go away
and never look upon his face again. I only wanted to tell him to believe
me. I am going, Mrs. Varrick, out into the cold and bitter world from
which he took me. Try to think of me as kindly as you can!"

With this, she turned and walked slowly from the room. On the threshold
she paused and turned back.

"Will you say to him--to your son, I mean--that I am very grateful for
all that he has done for me," she asked, "and that if the time ever
comes when I can repay it, I will do so? Tell him I would give my life,
if I could only serve him!"

"One moment," said the lady, as she was about to close the door: "I do
not wish to send you away empty-handed."

As she spoke she drew a purse from her pocket, saying:

"You will find this well filled. There is only one condition I make in
giving it to you, and that is, that you sign a written agreement that
you will never seek or hold any communication with my son hereafter."

"I am very poor indeed, madame," Jessie said, "but I-- I could not take
one penny from--from the person who believes me guilty of theft. But I
will sign the agreement, because--because you ask me to do so."

"Then step this way," said Mrs. Varrick, going to the table, where,
pushing a folded paper aside, Jessie saw a closely written document
lying beneath it. On the further end of the table a gold pen was resting
on a bronze ink-tray.

Mrs. Varrick dipped the pen in the ink, and handed it to the girl.

"Sign there," she said, indicating, with a very shaking finger, a line
at the bottom.

Perfectly innocent of the dastardly trap that had been set for her,
Jessie took