held them was
gibbering like an idiot!

The effect on Jake was remarkable. Uttering a piteous cry, he bounded
from their hands and fell at the woman's feet.

"Mother Quimby!" he moaned. "Mother Quimby!" and sought to kiss her hand
and wake some intelligence in her eye.

Meanwhile the coroner and Hammersmith looked on, astonished at these
evidences of real feeling. Then their eyes stole behind them, and
simultaneously both started back for the outhouse they had just left.
Huldah was standing in the doorway, surveying the group before her with
trembling, half-parted lips.

"Jealous!" muttered Hammersmith. "Providence has done our little trick
for us. She will talk now. Look! She's beckoning to us."

V

"Speak quickly. You'll never regret it, Huldah. He's no mate for you,
and you ought to know it. You have seen this paper covered with the pink
scrolls before?"

The coroner had again drawn aside his coat from the bits of plaster.

"Yes," she gasped, with quick glances at her lover through the open
doorway. "He never shed tears for me!" she exclaimed bitterly. "I didn't
know he could for anybody. Oh, I'll tell what I've kept quiet here," and
she struck her breast violently. "I wouldn't keep the truth back now if
the minister was waiting to marry us. He loves that old woman and he
doesn't love me. Hear him call her 'mother.' Are mothers dearer than
sweethearts? Oh, I'll tell! I don't know anything about the old lady,
but I do know that room 3 was repapered the night before last, and
secretly, by him. I didn't see him do it, nobody did, but this is how I
know: Some weeks ago I was hunting for something in the attic, when I
stumbled upon some rolls of old wall-paper lying in a little cubby-hole
under the eaves. The end of one of the rolls was torn and lay across the
floor. I couldn't help seeing it or remembering its colour. It was like
this, blue and striped. Exactly like it," she repeated, "just as shabby
and old-looking. The rain had poured in on it, and it was all mouldy and
stained. It smelt musty. I didn't give two thoughts to it then, but when
after the old lady's death I heard one of the girls say something in
the kitchen about a room being blue now which only a little while ago
was pink, I stole up into the attic to see if those rolls were still
there and found them every one gone. Oh, what is happening now?"

"One of the men is trying to take the diamonds from the woman and she
won't let him. Her wits are