manage to leave the ball-room?"

"Oh, easily. I slipped away from my partner at the end of the waltz,
and told him I should return immediately. Then I ran upstairs to my
room, got my cloak--and here I am."

And she laughed again. She was evidently in the highest spirits.

"You are very good to come with me at all, mia bella," I murmured as
gently as I could; "it is kind of you to thus humor my fancy. Did you
see your maid? does she know where you are going?"

"She? Oh, no, she was not in my room at all. She is a great coquette,
you know; I dare say she is amusing herself with the waiters in the
kitchen. Poor thing! I hope she enjoys it."

I breathed freely; we were so far undiscovered. No one had as yet
noticed our departure--no one had the least clew to my intentions, I
opened the door of the passage noiselessly, and we passed out. Wrapping
my wife's cloak more closely about her with much apparent tenderness, I
led her quickly across the garden. There was no one in sight--we were
entirely unobserved. On reaching the exterior gate of the inclosure I
left her for a moment, while I summoned a carriage, a common fiacre.
She expressed some surprise on seeing the vehicle.

"I thought we were not going far?" she said.

I reassured her on this point, telling her that I only desired to spare
her all possible fatigue. Satisfied with this explanation, she suffered
me to assist her into the carriage. I followed her, and calling to the
driver, "A la Villa Guarda," we rattled away over the rough uneven
stones of the back streets of the city.

"La Villa Guarda!" exclaimed Nina. "Where is that?"

"It is an old house," I replied, "situated near the place I spoke to
you of, where the jewels are."

"Oh!"

And apparently contented, she nestled back in the carriage, permitting
her head to rest lightly on my shoulder. I drew her closer to me, my
heart beating with a fierce, terrible joy.

"Mine--mine at last!" I whispered in her ear. "Mine forever!"

She turned her face upward and smiled victoriously; her cool fragrant
lips met my burning, eager ones in a close, passionate kiss. Yes, I
kissed her now--why should I not? She was as much mine as any purchased
slave, and merited less respect than a sultan's occasional female toy.
And as she chose to caress me, I let her do so: I allowed her to think
me utterly vanquished by the battery of her charms. Yet whenever I
caught an occasional glimpse of her face as we drove along in the