arcel that would be handed to him to the rooms she
was occupying in Portman Square--and which she made up her mind to
vacate the very next day--and there to wait until she came home from
rehearsal.

He took the note and left the theatre at once, upon which Miss Larue,
considerably relieved, returned to the duties in hand, and promptly
banished all thought of him from her mind.

It was not until something like two hours afterward that he was
brought back to mind in a somewhat disquieting manner.

"I say, Miss Larue," said the stage manager as she came off after
thrice rehearsing a particularly trying scene, and, with a weary
sigh, dropped into a vacant chair at his table, "aren't you worried
about that chap you sent with the note to Trent & Son? There's been
time for him to go and return twice over, you know; and I observe
that he's not back yet. Aren't you a bit uneasy?"

"No. Why should I be?"

"Well, for one thing, I should say it was an extremely risky business
unless you knew something about the man. Suppose, for instance, he
should make off with the jewels? A pretty pickle you'd be in with
the parties from whom you borrowed them, by Jove!"

"Good gracious, you don't suppose I sent him for the originals, do
you?" said Miss Larue with a smile. "Trent & Son _would_ think me
a lunatic to do such a thing as that. What I sent him for was, of
course, merely the paste replicas. The originals I shall naturally
go for myself."

"God bless my soul! The paste replicas, do you say?" blurted in Mr.
Lampson excitedly. "Why, I thought--Trent & Son will be sure to think
so themselves under the circumstances! They can't possibly think
otherwise."

"'Under the circumstances'? 'Think otherwise'?" repeated Miss Larue,
facing round upon him sharply. "What do you mean by that, Mr.
Lampson? Good heavens! not that they could possibly be mad enough
to give the man the originals?"

"Yes, certainly! Good Lord! what else can they think--what else
can they give him? They sent the paste duplicates here by their own
messenger this morning! They are in the manager's office--in his
safe--at this very minute; and I was going to bring them round to
you as soon as the rehearsal is over!"

Consternation followed this announcement, of course. The rehearsal
was called to an abrupt halt. Mr. Lampson and Miss Larue flew
round to the front of the house in a sort of panic, got to the
telephone, and rang up Trent & Son, who confirmed their worst