fairy dream of mine? Ah, will you see me again, this
once--this once--let me look at you, let me talk with you, hear your
voice? The last time!"

There was no signature.

Miss Betty quickly wrote four lines upon the same sheet: "Yes--yes!
I must see you, must talk with you before you go. Come at dusk. The
garden--near the gap in the hedge. It will be safe for a little while.
He will not be here." She replaced the paper in its envelope, drew
a line through her own name on the letter, and wrote "Mr. Vanrevel"
underneath.

"Do you know the gentleman who sent you?" she asked.

"No'm; but he'll be waitin' at his office, 'Gray and Vanrevel,' on Main
Street, for the answer."

"Then hurry!" said Betty.

He needed no second bidding, but, with wings on his bare heels, made off
through the gap in the hedge. At the corner of the street he encountered
an adventure, a gentleman's legs and a heavy hand at the same time. The
hand fell on his shoulder, arresting his scamper with a vicious jerk;
and the boy was too awed to attempt an escape, for he knew his captor
well by sight, although never before had he found himself so directly in
the company of Rouen's richest citizen. The note dropped from the small
trembling fingers, yet those fingers did not shake as did the man's
when, like a flash, Carewe seized upon the missive with his disengaged
hand and saw what two names were on the envelope.

"You were stealing, were you!" he cried, savagely. "I saw you sneak
through my hedge!"

"I didn't, either!"

Mr. Carewe ground his teeth, "What were you doing there?"

"Nothing!"

"Nothing!" mocked Carewe. "Nothing! You didn't carry this to the young
lady in there and get her answer?"

"No, sir!" answered the captive, earnestly.

"Cross my heart I didn't. I found it!"

Slowly the corrugations of anger were levelled from the magnate's face,
the white heat cooled, and the prisoner marvelled to find himself in
the presence of an urbane gentleman whose placidity made the scene of
a moment ago appear some trick of distorted vision. And yet, curious to
behold, Mr. Carewe's fingers shook even more violently than before, as
he released the boy's shoulder and gave him a friendly tap on the head,
at the same time smiling benevolently.

"There, there," he said, bestowing a wink upon the youngster. "It's all
right; it doesn't matter--only I think I see the chance of a jest in
this. You wait, while I read this little note, this message that y