e to the beauty and her chaperon, and
finally offered them a box at the opera for the next evening, and when
it was accepted he at last took leave.

"I have got the inside track and mean to keep it!" he said to himself,
as he drove homeward. And he did keep it. He was really a very
fascinating man when he chose to be so, and he generally did choose to
be so. And he could "make love like an angel." Now, whether he really
won the affections of Violet Wood by his charms of person and address,
or whether he only dazzled the girl's imagination by the splendor of his
wealth and position, or whether her guardians advocated his cause with
the beauty, or whether there was something of all these influences at
work upon her will, I do not quite know. But certain it is that when Mr.
Fabian, after two weeks' courtship, offered his heart, hand, and fortune
to the little beauty, she accepted them, and not only accepted, but
seemed very happy in doing so.

The betrothed lover pleaded for an early wedding day. Violet Wood
answered that she would consult her chaperon and abide by her decision.
Mr. Fabian then took the precaution to see Mrs. Pendletime, and pray
that the marriage might take place early in February. The lady answered
that she would consult her young protegee and be governed by her wishes.

Mr. Fabian bowed, thanked her warmly, shook hands with her cordially and
left the house. He went straight home, took from his safe a casket of
diamonds he had bought for his bride, and saying to himself:

"I can get Violet another and twice as costly a set; and what I need now
is to save time." He called Jason and dispatched him with this casket
and his card done up in a neat parcel, and directed to Mrs. Chief
Justice Pendletime. So prompt had been his action that the chaperon
received this silent bribe before she had spoken to her protegee on the
subject of fixing a day for her marriage.

Now the fire of these diamonds threw such a radiant light on the matter
that Mrs. Pendletime saw at once, and quite clearly, that February,
early in February, was the very best time for the wedding.

She sent for her protegee, and had a talk with her. Now Violet Wood was
by nature a simple-hearted, good-humored girl, who loved to be well
dressed, well housed, well served, and, above all, to be much petted,
especially by such a charming master of the art as was Mr. Fabian. She
also loved to oblige her friends.

So she yielded to the arguments of