e before till she came here with you gentlemen. What
is the trouble?" His brow wrinkled worriedly.

"What security did madame advance?"

"Security?" The manager looked at La Signorina, but she rendered him not
the least assistance. "I have given my word to madame not to tell."

"In that case we three gentlemen shall leave this afternoon. You will
make out our bill at once."

This time the manager appealed to the lady eloquently.

"You are three foolish men," spoke La Signorina impatiently. "If the
manager wishes to tell you he may do so. I give him permission."

The careless way she assigned the third person to the manager more than
ever convinced Worth that somewhere and at some time La Signorina had
commanded.

"The security I have, gentlemen, is quite sufficient," said the manager.

"Produce it," said Worth. He realized that he had angered La Signorina,
and he now regretted his scruples, which in this instance had their
foundation on mere curiosity. He would not retreat now.

The manager brought forth a fat wallet and opened it. Out of this he
took a flat object wrapped in tissue-paper. Very tenderly he unfolded
it. The treasure was a diamond pendant, worth at least a thousand
dollars.

"I was to keep this, simply till madame chose to reclaim it. Nothing has
been advanced against it." A new thought came into the manager's mind,
and he turned slightly pale. "If it is not madame's--?"

"It is mine," said La Signorina. She was very angry, but her sense of
justice admitted that Worth was perfectly right. "Once more I ask you
not to make me miserable by forcing this trinket back upon me. Will you
do me the honor to wait till to-morrow morning?"

The three men involved exchanged questioning looks.

"Till to-morrow morning, then," said Worth. "That will be all," he
added, to the manager, who was willing enough to make his escape.

"You will forgive us, won't you?" asked O'Mally. "It could not be. We
men have some ideas in our heads that you can't knock out with a club.
It was fine of you. You've a heart as big as all outdoors. We'll keep
the thought behind the deed. Eh, boys? Do not be angry with us."

"I am only angry to have been found out," she answered, not
ungraciously. Then she laughed. "You are the strangest people! One would
think, to hear you talk, that I was giving you all this, when I merely
advanced security till your remittances come. Well, well, we shall say
no more about it. I have a plan to