d by such luxury. A so-called lodge built of the
finest grade of Italian marble; gardens fit for the palace of a king; a
retinue of servants such as one scarcely finds on the ducal estates of
the proudest families of England and a mansion that is furnished with
treasures of art, any one of which is worth a queen's ransom."

"I do not wonder you are surprised," she replied, looking about the room
with a smile of satisfaction that did little to soothe my growing
wrath.

"It certainly leaves room for explanation," I retorted, coldly. "Of
course, if Raffles told you where the Herringdale jewels were hid and
you have disposed of them, some of all this could be accounted for; but
what of me? Did it ever occur to you that I was entitled to some part of
the swag?"

"Oh, you poor, suspicious old Bunny," she rippled. "Haven't I sent for
you to give you some share of this--although truly you don't deserve it,
for _this_ is all mine. I haven't any more notion what became of the
Herringdale jewels than the duchess of Herringdale herself."

"What?" I cried. "Then these surroundings--"

"Are self-furnishing," she said, with a merry little laugh, "and all
through a plan of my own, Bunny. This house, as you may not be aware, is
the late residence of Mr. and Mrs. Constant Scrappe--"

"Who are suing each other for divorce," I put in, for I knew of the
Constant Scrappes in social life, as who did not, since a good third of
the society items of the day concerned themselves with the matrimonial
difficulties of this notable couple.

"Precisely," said Henriette. "Now Mrs. Scrappe is in South Dakota
establishing a residence, and Colonel Scrappe is at Monte Carlo
circulating his money with the aid of a wheel and a small ball. Bolivar
Lodge, with its fine collection of old furniture, its splendid jades,
its marvellous Oriental potteries, paintings, and innumerable small
silver articles, is left here at Newport and for rent. What more
natural, dear, than that I, needing a residence whose occupancy would in
itself be an assurance of my social position, should snap it up with an
eagerness which in this Newport atmosphere amounted nearly to a betrayal
of plebeian origin?"

"But it must cost a fortune!" I cried, gazing about me at the splendors
of the room, which even to a cursory inspection revealed themselves as
of priceless value. "That cloisonne jar over by the fireplace is worth
two hundred pounds alone."

"That is just the reason why