is!" gasped Fanny, on the theory that an expression of
bewilderment on her part would exonerate her from suspicion.

Stafford stood still, trying to fix the two pieces together. He was
quite cool and to all appearances the least concerned of the four.
There was not even a note of impatience in his voice as he said:

"Oku must be more careful. I never knew him to do a thing like this
before."

Virginia approached her future brother-in-law. In a quick undertone
she said:

"Tell him."

"Not on your life," he answered in the same tragic whisper. "He
doesn't suspect us. We can get away with it."

Utterly disgusted, Virginia moved toward her host.

"Mr. Stafford!" she said loudly and firmly.

He looked up, surprised at her manner and tone.

"Yes?" he smiled.

"Oku didn't break it."

Stafford stared at her in amazement.

"Didn't he?"

"No."

"Really?"

"No--it wasn't Oku." She hesitated a moment; as if still unwilling to
disclose the real culprit, Finally she said: "We--we did--it."

An expression of amused surprise came over his face, as he echoed:

"Did we?"

He looked from one to the other, his glance finally failing on Fanny.
Alarmed at his scrutiny, she hurriedly pointed to her sister and her
fiance:

"Not me! Them!" she exclaimed.

Stafford smiled. Although it meant a serious loss, to say nothing of
the blow to his pride as a collector he was too much the man of the
world to betray annoyance or to permit a little accident of that kind
to spoil the evening's enjoyment. Courteously he said:

"It doesn't matter in the least."

Ashamed to hide behind a woman's skirts any longer, Jimmie now came
forward. In a halfhearted fashion, he said:

"I was looking at it when Virginia suddenly addressed me and I dropped
it." With airy self-assurance, he added: "Of course I'll pay for it."

Stafford shrugged his shoulders. Carelessly he said:

"Please don't give it another thought, any of you."

Leaving her companions, Virginia approached her host. Looking up at
him earnestly, she said in an undertone:

"I can't tell you how sorry I am."

He was so tall that, standing close by she had to look up at him. As
he stood there, so big and strong, smiling down at her, taking
good-naturedly what might well have irritated any man, she thought to
herself how handsome and nice he was. Looking into her eyes with the
same ardent expression she had so often noticed in his glance, he said
softly:

"The only thi