o what wretchedness you consign me if I
am left here to think of you fighting alone with this dangerous storm,
or attacked by blackguards who we know may not be far away!'

She said in a quiet, practical, girlish way, 'It was I who was
responsible for letting you in last night, and then this happened--this
most unheard-of thing. We never heard of any but a petty theft ever
committed in this whole region before. Now I am bound to keep you here
until we can hear where father's silver is.'

'You don't believe that I have done it! I am sure you do not' (he
believed what he said). 'Why haven't you the courage to act upon your
conviction? You will never regret it.'

'Eliz says that she saw you quite distinctly.'

'Eliz is a little fool,' were the words that arose within him, but what
he said was, 'Your sister is excitable and nervous; she saw the thief
undoubtedly, and by some miserable freak of fortune he may have
resembled me.'

'Does that seem at all likely?'

'Well, then, there was no resemblance, and she fancied it.'

She stood up, looking harassed, but without relenting. 'I must go--there
is nothing else to be done. Do you think I would stay here when a day
might make all the difference in recovering the things which belonged to
my father? Do you think that I am going to lose the things that belonged
to him just because I am too much of a coward to go out and give the
alarm?'

She walked away from him resolutely, but the thought of the lost
treasures and all the dear memories that in her mind were identified
with them seemed to overcome her. She drew her hand hastily across her
eyes, and then, to his dismay, the sorrow for her loss emphasised her
wavering belief in his guilt; for the first time he realised how strong
that sorrow was. Impelled by emotion she turned again and came
shrinkingly back into his presence.

'I have not reproached you,' she said, 'because I thought it would be
mean in case you had not done it; but it seems that you must have done
it. Won't you tell me where the other man has taken our things? They
cannot be of any value to you compared with their value to us; and, oh,
indeed I would much rather give you as much money as you could possibly
make out of them, and more too, if you would only tell me which way this
man has gone, and send word to him that he must give them back! I will
pledge you my word of honour that----'

For the first time he was offended with her. He stepped back with