. More
than once she had made free to appropriate necklaces and bracelets for
her own adornment in plays with the children, but this time she was
quite innocent of any misbehavior.

"Why!--why!" she gasped, gazing, big-eyed, at the beautiful empty
cases, "where are all your jewels? I haven't taken a single thing!
Have I, Polly? We were playing tennis early, and then we went to ride,
you know. Why, what could--"

But Mrs. Illingworth waited for no more; dashing from the room, she
hurried to the office to report her loss.

She was only one of many. While supper was in progress the rooms of
the guests had been rifled of money and jewelry to the amount of
thousands of dollars. The thief had entered the apartments by means of
a skeleton key, for most of the doors had been locked.

"Oh, I wonder if he took my lovely coral bracelet!" cried Patricia,
who had followed her mother downstairs.

The girls scampered back, to find their fears true. Patricia's pretty
bits of jewelry, as well as Polly's pansy pin, were gone. They were
distressed over their loss, but their excitement was a small part of
that throughout the hotel.

The authorities were not long in placing the charge. The men who had
accompanied Harold from the railway wreck had vanished, and although
they were traced to a neighboring town, there they seemed to be
utterly lost.

Perhaps nobody grieved more than did Polly.

"And the man was so pleasant to me!" she mourned. "To think he should
go and steal my pretty pin--Chris's present!"

The occurrence actually made her homesick, and she longed for the day
when her month should be up. It had been arranged for her to travel in
company with an elderly gentleman who must pass through Fair Harbor on
his way home, and she would have hoped that his business would hasten
his going, only that she had promised the entire month in return for
the fifty dollars.

The day was finally set, but nothing was said about the price of her
visit, and Polly grew anxious and perturbed. What if Patricia had
forgotten! What if she should not get the money after all! To be sure,
the month had been for the most part pleasant, still the loss of her
precious pin was enough to make her hate the name of Midvale Springs.
Now if she had gained not even the amount of the coal bill by coming!
By the last night Polly was in a fever; she could not sleep, while her
irresponsible bedfellow lay beside her like a little log.

Shortly before breakfa