g when
you give that rubbish to Mary Jane."

Well, he felt with a woman like Cora Dene, his strong suit was to obey and
not argue, for he understood now, by a sure instinct, that such a creature
was a tower of strength if she loved a man, and had best be let alone to
work out her plans in her own way. And he presented the amber heart to
Mary Jane and endured her joy and her kisses, though his heart sank under
'em and he puzzled all night to know how such a stroke was going to work
for good. And if he'd known the proper tempest that had to rage afore
there was peace, doubtless his pluck would have quailed under it.

And the very next morning, so proud as punch, Mary Jane came to breakfast
with her amber heart flashing under her chin, and when James sat down to
his meal, the first thing he catched sight of was his gift to Cora on his
sister's bosom.

His eyeballs jingled no doubt and he put down his knife and fork and
stared as if he'd seen a spectrum instead of the homely shape of Mary Jane
behind the teapot.

"What--what in thunder be that hanging round your neck?" he asked.

"A little momentum from Nick," she answered lightly. "He gave it to me
yesterday and was wishful for me to let him see me wear it."

"Caunter gave you that?" he said. "Let me look at it."

Well, she was a bit surprised, of course, to see James tighten up and set
his jaws as he was wont to do before ugly news; but she put it down to
astonishment and no more and handed the heart and the chain to James. She
knew nought about his gift to Cora, and so when he dropped it, after
squinting close at it, and said: "My God in heaven, 'tis the same!" then
Mary Jane felt proper amazement.

"The same what?" she asked.

"The same treasure that I gave Cora for a heirloom," he answered, his jaws
like a rat-trap.

"You gave Cora!" gasped Mary Jane. "What stuff are you telling?"

And then the woman in her conquered, because she knew the value of things
as well as another.

"And a treasure it ain't any way," went on Mary Jane, "because a few
shillings would buy it. But Nicholas is poor and 'tis the thought behind
that I value."

"Damn the thought behind!" thundered out James. "It weren't his to give,
you silly owl. This was my gift to Cora Dene, and not a month ago,
neither."

"Nonsense!" she answered. "There might be fifty like it."

But he knew better, because he'd marked the thing very close when he
bought it, and there was a stain in the amber w