ouldn't have her in the house. So many virtues
piled one on the other are sure to make an unsafe structure, and I
believe some poor, miserable little vice will crop out somewhere and
upset the whole thing."

"You are jealous," said Thaddeus; and then he went out.

The next day, meeting his friend Bradley on the street, Thaddeus
greeted him with a smile, and said, "Mrs. Perkins thinks you ought
to take up literature."

"Why so?" asked Bradley.

"She thinks De Foe and Scott and Dumas and Stevenson would be thrown
into the depths of oblivion if you were to write up that jewel of
yours," said Thaddeus. "She thinks your Mary is one of the finest,
most imaginative creations of modern days."

"She doubts her existence, eh?" smiled Bradley.

"Well, she thinks she's more likely to be a myth than a Smith," said
Thaddeus. "She told me to ask you if Mary has a twin-sister, and to
say that if you hear of her having any relatives at all--and no
domestic ever lived who hadn't--to send her their addresses. She'd
like to employ a few."

"I am sorry Mrs. Perkins is so blinded by jealousy," said Bradley,
with a smile. "And I regret to say that Mary hasn't a cousin on the
whole police force, or, in fact, any kind of a relative whatsoever,
unless she prevaricates."

"Too bad," said Thaddeus. "I had a vague hope we could stock up on
jewels of her kind. Where did you get her, anyhow--Tiffany's?"

"No. At an unintelligence office," said Bradley. "She was a last
resort. We had to have some one, and she was the only girl there.
We took her for a week on trial without references, and, by Jove!
she turned out a wonder."

Thaddeus grinned, and said: "Give her time, Bradley. By-the-way,
at what hours is she on exhibition? I'd like to see her."

"Come up to-night and test the truth of what I say," said Bradley.
"I won't let anybody know you are coming, and you'll see her just as
we see her. What do you say?"

The temptation was too strong for Thaddeus to resist, and so it was
that Bessie received a telegram that afternoon from her beloved,
stating that he would dine with Bradley, and return home on a late
train. The telegram concluded with the line, "I'M GOING TO APPRAISE
THE ESCAPED CROWN-JEWEL."

Bessie chuckled at this, and stayed up until long after the arrival
of the last train, so interested was she to hear from Thaddeus all
about the Bradley jewel, who, as she said, "seemed too good to be
true"; but she was fin