bit. I let her pull me in, and then I backed up against the
door and shut it.

"Diamonds! Oh, no, ma'am. I hope I'm not a thief. But--but it was
something you dropped--this."

I fished Moriway's letter out of my pocket and handed it to her.

The poor old lady! Being a bell-boy you know just how old ladies
really are. This one at evening, after her face had been massaged for
an hour, and the manicure girl and the hair-dresser had gone, wasn't so
bad. But to-day, with the marks of the morning's tears on her agitated
face, with the blood pounding up to her temples where the hair was thin
and gray--Tom Dorgan, if I'm a vain old fool like that when I'm three
times as old as I am, just tie a stone around my neck and take me down
and drop me into the nearest water, won't you?

"You abominable little wretch!" she sobbed. "I suppose you've told
everybody in the office."

"How could I, ma'am?"

"How could you?" She looked up, the tears on her flabby, flushed cheek.

"I didn't know myself. I can't read writing--"

It was thin, but she wanted to believe it.

She could have taken me in her arms, she was so happy.

"There! there!" she patted my shoulder and gave me a dollar bill. "I
was a bit hasty, Nat. It's only a--a little business matter that Mr.
Moriway's attending to for me. We--we'll finish it up this afternoon.
I shouldn't like Miss Kingdon to know of it, because--because I--never
like to worry her about business, you know. So don't mention it when
she comes to-morrow."

"No'm. Shall I fasten your dress?" I simply had to stay in that room
till I could get rid of those diamonds.

With a faded old blush--the nicest thing about her I'd ever seen--she
turned her back.

"It's dark to-day, ma'am," I coaxed. "Would you mind coming nearer the
window?"

No, she wouldn't mind. She backed up to the corner like a gentle
little lamb. While I hooked with one hand, I dropped the little bag
where the carpet was still turned up, and with the toe of my shoe
spread it flat again.

"You're real handy for a boy," she said, pleased.

"Thank you, ma'am," I answered, pleased myself.

Moriway was still watching me, of course, when I came out, but I ran
downstairs, he following close, and when the Major got hold of me, I
pulled my pockets inside out like a little man.

Moriway was there at the time. I knew he wasn't convinced. But he
couldn't watch a bell-boy all day long, and the moment I was sure his
eyes