but when she softly approached
the bed, to make sure that her victim's slumber had not been disturbed
by her own advent, an expression of extreme surprise was depicted on her
face, as she got a full view of the head lying upon the pillow and the
eyes fixed upon her in speechless terror. "The lady of the necklace!"
she exclaimed aloud. "Yes, the lady of the necklace!" putting one hand,
as she spoke, caressingly upon the string of pearl beads round her
little, thin, brown neck. Isabelle, for her part, though half dead with
fright, had recognised the little girl she had first seen at the Blue
Sun inn, and afterwards on the road to the Chateau de Bruyeres, in
company with Agostino, the brigand. She tried to cry out for help, but
the child put her hand quickly and firmly over her mouth.

"Don't scream," she said reassuringly, "nothing shall hurt you. Chiquita
promised that she would never kill nor harm the good, sweet lady, who
gave her the pearls that she meant to steal."

"But what have you come in here for, my poor child?" asked Isabelle,
gradually recovering her composure, but filled with surprise at this
strange intrusion.

"To open the great bolt on your door there that you are so careful to
close every night," answered Chiquita, in the most matter-of-fact way.
"They chose me for it because I am such a good climber, and as thin
and supple as a snake; there are not many holes that I cannot manage to
crawl through."

"And why were you to open my door, Chiquita? so that thieves could come
in and steal what few things I have here? There is nothing of value
among them, I assure you."

"Oh, no!" Chiquita replied disdainfully, "it was to let the men in who
were to carry you off."

"My God! I am lost!" cried poor Isabelle, wringing her hands in despair.

"Not at all," said Chiquita, "and you need not be so frightened. I shall
just leave the bolt as it is, and they would not dare to force the door;
it would make too much noise, and they would be caught at it; they're
not so silly as that, never fear."

"But I should have shrieked at the top of my voice, and clung to the
bedstead with all my might, if they had tried to take me," exclaimed
Isabelle excitedly, "so that I would have been heard by the people in
the neighbouring rooms, and I'm sure they would have come to my rescue."

"A good gag will stifle any shrieks," said Chiquita sententiously, with
a lofty contempt for Isabelle's ignorance that was very amusing, "an