responded
quickly. "Can you not manage to have some one introduce me to you as Miss
Richards while you are here? then neither Mrs. Montague nor any one else
would think it strange if you should seek me occasionally; only--"

"Only what?" inquired the young man, wondering to see her color so
vividly and appear so embarrassed.

"Perhaps I should not tell you," Mona said, with some hesitation, "and
yet you must learn the fact sooner or later from some other sources; but
Mrs. Montague appears to be growing quite fond of your father, who is
very attentive to her, and she might not exactly like--"

"She might not like to have the son of the man for whom she is angling
to pay attention to her seamstress, is what you were going to say?" Ray
interposed, laughing, yet with a look of annoyance sweeping over his fine
face.

"Something like it, perhaps," Mona responded, flushing again.

"Well, I do not believe she is going to land her fish, if you will pardon
the slang phrase," said the young man, confidently. "My father has
successfully resisted the allurements of the gentler sex for too many
years to succumb at this late day; so you and I need give ourselves no
uneasiness upon that score. Does he know you as Ruth Richards?"

"Yes, if indeed he knows me at all. I have received no introduction to
him, and I only knew him from hearing Mr. Wellington greet him and
inquire regarding the lost diamonds," Mona explained. Then she added:
"Do you expect to recover them, Ray? have you any clew?"

"Yes, we have a slight one, we think, and that is one reason why I am
here to-night. The detective in our employ sent a telegram to my father
yesterday mentioning the fact, but he thought it best for me to come up
to-night and talk the matter over more fully with him, and hurry him back
to New York early on Tuesday morning. A woman is being shadowed upon the
suspicion of having committed a bold swindle in Chicago, and Mr. Rider
thinks, without any doubt, that she is the same person who so cleverly
did us out of our diamonds."

"Hark! please," said Mona, as just then she caught the sound of voices in
the distance, "the party is returning from evening service, and I must
not be found here with you."

"I am loath to let you go, my brown-eyed sweetheart," Ray tenderly
responded.

"And I to go," Mona answered softly, "but it is best that I should; we
must both be judicious for a while--we must not be too exacting when we
have had this great n