till unable to
write for herself. The doctor was probably aware that Mr. Loring had
written apprising them of the loss of certain articles of great value
that had been intrusted to his care and intended for them. He had
expressed the utmost sorrow and had tendered certain reimbursement (that
check was for two hundred dollars, not a cent less), not a fortieth part
of the value of the lost articles, probably, but now they were in
receipt of a letter from Captain Nevins that must have come by private
hand to San Francisco, telling them that he must go forth to seek his
fortunes anew; that his wife would never hear from him until he could
come with full hands; that he had sent her every penny and possession
he had--enough to keep her in comfort--and if Lieutenant Loring did not
promptly deliver the same to take legal steps to compel him to do so, as
he, Nevins, was now convinced the officer might appropriate them to his
own use, if he could find any way to cover his breach of trust, such as
swearing they were stolen from him. Captain Nevins had written other
things in condemnation of Mr. Loring which neither Mrs. Nevins nor
herself could believe; but--it did seem strange that an officer could
find no safe method of sending valuable jewels when so much depended on
his fidelity.

Loring read no further. His blue eyes were blazing already and his face
was white with wrath when he returned the missive to his friend, who,
knowing nothing of Loring's past infatuation for the writer, wondered at
sight of his emotion.

"Why, Loring," said he, "you take this shallow girl too seriously. It's
the way with women all over the world. They can never wholly acquit a
man of complicity when they have suffered a loss. If that package were
with you on the Idaho and she was to go down in midocean and the jewelry
with her, some women would say you scuttled the ship in order to rob
them."

The doctor's name, it must be observed, is unrecorded, because of the
extremity of his cynicism. He went back to Yuma and his duties and
stowed that letter away, to be answered later on. What the writer said
her sister desired most to know was whether Mr. Loring had sustained any
injury that might affect his mind or memory, and the doctor sniffed
indignantly at the notion while we read, yet marveled much at the effect
that half-uttered accusation had on his usually calm, self-poised
patient. He spoke of it to Turnbull when that veteran came hurrying in
by s