e me one thing."

"What's that?"

"Don't tell Jim Hardy--don't say anything about it. When he sees me
he'll know, but don't tell him beforehand."

Louisa burst into a loud, scathing laugh.

"To hear you speak, Alison," she said, "one would think that you were
somebody of consequence to Mr. Hardy. Oh, dear--oh, dear, the conceit
of some folks! Do you suppose it would make any _difference_ to him
whether you came or not? But take my word for it, I won't tell him."

"Thank you," said Alison. "Yes, I'll be there. What time shall I
come?"

"The acting begins at nine o'clock, but there's supper first at eight;
you had best come to supper. I will put you in a corner where you
can't get even a sight of Jim's face, then you'll be easy and happy in
your mind."

"No, I won't come to supper, but I'll come in time for the acting. I
am very much obliged, I am sure."

Louisa gave vent to a great yawn.

"Seems to me," she said, "that you aint up to much shopping; you
haven't gone into one shop yet."

"No more I have," said Alison. "I have changed my mind; I won't buy
the things I meant to to-night. I'll go home now; so I'll say
good-evening."

"Good-evening," said Louisa, accompanying her words with a sweeping
courtesy which she considered full of style and grace.

She went home chuckling to herself.

"I guess that acting will finish up Alison's love affair," she thought.
"It won't be any fault of mine if it doesn't. Oh, good-evening, Mr.
Sampson."

George Sampson, who had been looking out for Louisa, now joined her,
and the two walked back to the pawnshop arm in arm, and talking very
confidentially together, Louisa had been true to her own
predictions--she had so flattered and so assiduously wooed George
Sampson that he was her devoted slave by this time. He came to see her
every night, and had assured Jim Hardy long ago that of all people in
the world Louisa was the last who had anything to do with the stealing
of the five-pound note. Louisa's own charms were the sort which would
appeal to a man like Sampson, but whether he would have made up his
mind to marry her, if he did not know that she was safe to have a nice
little sum down from her father on her wedding-day, remains an open
question.

As Alison walked home, many angry and jealous thoughts whirled through
her brain. Was Jim really false to her?--she forgot all about his face
that afternoon; she forgot his earnest words. She only recalled
L