ry strangely.
He looked all around the room carefully, opened a door at the back,
then locked the door he had come in at.

Then he went to the table--all the time listening and acting as if
afraid. He acted so strangely that Molly was so much interested she
couldn't look away. She wondered what he was going to do. She soon
saw, for he took from his pocket a bunch of keys and began trying them
in the drawer of the table.

He tried several, and at last found one that fitted and he pulled the
drawer open. He tumbled over the things in the drawer, took out the
little bag which had held the bright pennies, put it in his pocket,
and then pulled out the small leather case Molly remembered so well,
and she saw--as he opened it--the same flashing colors she had seen
before. This he hastily closed and slipped into another pocket. Then
snatching his keys, he hurried out of the room, leaving the drawer
open, but shutting the door very quietly.

Meanwhile Molly was breathless with excitement over this new mystery
and could hardly tear herself away from her peep-hole, hoping always
to see what would happen next.

She soon saw unusual things. The next day policemen came to the room,
examined the drawer carefully, looked at doors and windows, as if
seeking something. The old gentleman seemed distressed, and the lady
came and cried and wrung her hands; plainly there was something very
serious the matter.

One evening--not long after this--she heard her sisters talking about
a mysterious robbery that had taken place in the store. The
proprietors of the store had lost money and a valuable piece of
diamond jewelry, and one of the shop-girls had been arrested. She was
the only one who had been in the room that day, it was said by the
charwoman who was first suspected. The sisters were very indignant
over the arrest; they did not believe the girl was guilty.

While listening to this story, Molly understood that her show-room was
the private office of the old gentleman and that she knew who had
stolen the diamonds. But if she told, it would reveal the secret of
her play-room, and she knew her sisters would never let her go there
again.

The lonely child felt that she could not give up her only pleasure; so
she sat listening but saying nothing, till one of her sisters told
about the poor shop-girl, how she was in great distress, and her
mother, who was almost helpless, had come to the store to plead with
the old gentleman.

This wa