he heiress."

"And you think--you suspect that the man who stole the papers is
connected with--But then those papers must be--oh, it cannot be! For
then Iris would be Clara's cousin--Clara's cousin--and the other an
impostor."

"Even so; everything is possible. But silence. Do not speak a word,
even to Iris. If the papers are lost, they are lost. Say nothing to
her yet; but go--go, and find out if that photograph resembles the
American physician. The river wanders here and there, but the sea
swallows it at last."

CHAPTER XI.

MR. JAMES MAKES ATONEMENT.

James arrived as usual in the morning at nine o'clock, in order to
take down the shutters. To his astonishment, he found Lala Roy and
Iris waiting for him in the back shop. And they had grave faces.

"James," said Iris, "your master has suffered a great shock, and is
not himself this morning. His safe has been broken open by some one,
and most important papers have been taken out."

"Papers, miss--papers? Out of the safe?"

"Yes. They are papers of no value whatever to the thief, whoever he
may be. But they are of the very greatest importance to us. Your
master seems to have lost his memory for a while, and cannot help us
in finding out who has done this wicked thing. You have been a
faithful servant for so long that I am sure you will do what you can
for us. Think for us. Try to remember if anybody besides yourself has
had access to this room when your master was out of it."

James sat down. He felt that he must sit down, though Lala Roy was
looking at him with eyes full of doubt and suspicion. The whole
enormity of his own guilt, though he had not stolen anything, fell
upon him. He had got the key; he had given it to Mr. Joseph; and he
had received it back again. In fact, at that very moment, it was lying
in his pocket. The worst that he had feared had happened. The safe was
robbed.

He was struck with so horrible a dread, and so fearful a looking
forward to judgment and condemnation, that his teeth chattered and his
eye gave way.

"You will think it over, James," said Iris; "think it over, and tell
us presently if you can remember anything."

"Think it over, Mr. James," Lala Roy repeated in his deepest tone, and
with an emphatic gesture of his right forefinger. "Think it over
carefully. Like a lamp that is never extinguished are the eyes of the
faithful servant."

They left him, and James fell back into his chair with hollow cheek
and beati