broken the seal, drawn forth the letter,
and commenced reading its contents aloud. He had scarcely reached the
second page ere he stopped short, dumfounded; for there the words
confronted him which made the blood turn to ice in his veins, and his
heart to almost stop beating.

He sprung to his feet and looked at his mother.

"Mother," he cried, hoarsely, "what can this mean? Jessie refuses me,
and she says you know the reason why she must do so. What is that
reason, mother? I beg you to tell me."

"She has given me her solemn promise not to marry you. That much I may
tell you, nothing more," returned Mrs. Varrick, huskily.

"But it is my right to know, mother," he cried, sharply. "You must not
keep it from me. I tell you that my whole life lies in the issue."

"Step to my desk in the corner--the key is in it--and you will find in
the right-hand drawer a folded paper; bring it to me. This will tell you
what you want to know," she said, unsteadily, as he placed the paper in
her hand. "Open it, and read it for yourself."

This he did with trembling hands; but when his eye had traversed half
the page, he flung the note from him as though it were a viper that had
stung and mortally wounded him.

"You see it is a confession from Jessie Bain that she stole my bracelet;
it is her written acknowledgment, with her name affixed. That is the
reason why she feels there is a barrier between you. Our ancestors,
Hubert, have always been noted for being proud, high-bred men and women.
No stain has ever darkened their fair names. If you wedded this girl,
you would be the first to bring shame upon the name of Varrick."

"Not so, mother," he cried. "Despite the evidence of my own eyes, I can
not, I will not believe my darling guilty. There is some terrible
mistake--something which I do not understand. I will make it the work of
my life to clear up this mystery, and to prove to you, despite all the
evidence against my darling, that she is innocent."

"Will you make a vow to me that you will never marry her until her
innocence is proven?" she cried, seizing Hubert's hand and pressing it
spasmodically in both of hers. "Remember that I, as your mother, have a
right to demand this--you owe it to me."

For a moment Hubert Varrick hesitated.

"If you are so sure of her innocence, surely you need have no
hesitation," his mother whispered.

Hubert Varrick did not speak for an instant; a thousand tumultuous
thoughts surged through his