ession coming into Mrs. Dinneford's face.

"These people suspect everybody; there is no honor nor truth in them,
and they judge every one by themselves. She half accused me of getting a
larger amount of money from you, and putting her off with the paltry sum
of thirty dollars."

Mrs. Bray looked exceedingly hurt and annoyed.

"Threatened," she went on, "to go to you herself--didn't want any
go-betweens nor brokers. I expected to hear you say that she'd been at
your house this morning."

"Good Gracious! no!" Mrs. Dinneford's face was almost distorted with
alarm.

"It's the way with all these people," coolly remarked Mrs. Bray. "You're
never safe with them."

"Did you hint at her leaving the city?--going to New Orleans, for
instance?"

"Oh dear, no! She isn't to be managed in that way--is deeper and more
set than I thought. The fact is, Mrs. Dinneford"--and Mrs. Bray lowered
her voice and looked shocked and mysterious--"I'm beginning to suspect
her as being connected with a gang."

"With a gang? What kind of a gang?" Mrs. Dinneford turned slightly pale.

"A gang of thieves. She isn't the right thing; I found that out long
ago. You remember what I said when you gave her the child. I told you
that she was not a good woman, and that it was a cruel thing to put a
helpless, new-born baby into her hands."

"Never mind about that." Mrs. Dinneford waved her hand impatiently.
"The baby's out of her hands, so far as that is concerned. A gang of
thieves!"

"Yes, I'm 'most sure of it. Goes to people's houses on one excuse and
another, and finds out where the silver is kept and how to get in. You
don't know half the wickedness that's going on. So you see it's no use
trying to get her away."

Mrs. Bray was watching the face of her visitor with covert scrutiny,
gauging, as she did so, by its weak alarms, the measure of her power
over her.

"Dreadful! dreadful!" ejaculated Mrs. Dinneford, with dismay.

"It's bad enough," said Mrs. Bray, "and I don't see the end of it. She's
got you in her power, and no mistake, and she isn't one of the kind to
give up so splendid an advantage. I'm only surprised that she's kept
away so long."

"What's to be done about it?" asked Mrs. Dinneford, her alarm and
distress increasing.

"Ah! that's more than I can tell," coolly returned Mrs. Bray. "One thing
is certain--I don't want to have anything more to do with her. It isn't
safe to let her come here. You'll have to manage her yourself