t talk about it," he broke in,
vehemently; "all I can say is, that I am innocent. If you believe that
I don't care what they do. They'll be able to prove by circumstantial
evidence that I took it," he added, bitterly, "and nothing that I can
say will make any difference. My mother won't believe me guilty, and,
thank God, you don't; and I am not; God knows I am not. Beyond that
I will say nothing; it is useless--worse than useless; it would be
criminal--would only cast suspicion on others, perhaps innocent. I
don't know what they'll do about it; the money has been repaid. They may
arrest me as a felon--at any rate I shall be forced to leave the bank
and go away. It won't make much difference.--I am as I was before, an
honest man, and I shall find other openings. It's not half so hard as I
thought it would be; I feared perhaps that you--"

She stopped him with an imploring gesture.

"Let me finish," he said. "I must go back to the office. I thought that
you might believe me a thief, and that would have been too much."

"You cared for my poor opinion?" she asked. The quiver in her voice
caused him to look into her face; he saw the gray eyes shrouded in
tears. He was a queer thief, trembling with joy because of his sin.

"Yes, I care," he answered; "and it seemed all so dark before you
brought the sunlight in with you; now I'm glad that they've accused me;
somebody else might have suffered and had no one to believe in him. But
I must go back to--my prison it seems like now--when I leave you;" this
with a weary attempt at brave mockery.

Allis laid a detaining hand on his arm, the small gloved hand that
had guided Lauzanne to victory. "If anything happens, if you are going
away--I think you are right to go if they distrust you--you will see me
before you leave, won't you?"

"Will you care to see me if I stand branded as a thief?" The word came
very hard, but in his acridity he felt like not sparing himself; he
wanted to get accustomed to the full obloquy.

"Promise me to come to Ringwood before going away," she answered.

"Yes, I will; and I thank you. No matter how dark the shadow may make my
life your kindness will be a hope light. No man is utterly lost when a
good woman believes in him."

The creaking bank door wailed tremulously, irritably; somebody was
pushing it open from the inside. With a whine of remonstrance it swung
wider, and Crane stepped out on the sidewalk. He stared in astonishment
at Mortimer and