he rose to
her full height; and again her mood changed, dominating me with
imperious air, her voice icily cold in manner, grave and repellent.

"Why not? I am a thief; you believe me to be a common thief."

CHAPTER IV.

I was too much taken aback to do better than stammer out helplessly,
hopelessly, almost unintelligibly, a few words striving to remind her
of her own admission. Nothing, indeed, could take the sting out of
this, and yet it was all but impossible to accuse her, to blame her
even for what she had done.

She read that in my eyes, in my abashed face, my hands held out
deprecating her wrath, and her next words had a note of conciliation
in them.

"There are degrees of wrong-doing, shades of guilt," she said.
"Crimes, offences, misdeeds, call them as you please, are not
absolutely unpardonable; in some respects they are excusable, if not
justifiable. Do you believe that?"

"I should like to do so in your case," I replied gently. "You know I
am still quite in the dark."

"And you must remain so, for the present at any rate," she said
firmly and sharply. "I can tell you nothing, I am not called upon to
do it indeed. We are absolute strangers, I owe you no explanation, and
I would give you none, even if you asked."

"I have not asked and shall not ask anything."

"Then you are willing to take it so, to put the best construction on
what you have heard, to forget my words, to surrender your
suspicions?"

"If you will tell me only this: that I may have confidence in you,
that I may trust you, some day, to enlighten me and explain what seems
so incomprehensible to-day."

"I am sorely tempted to do so now," she paused, lost for a time in
deep and anxious thought; and then, after subjecting me to a long and
intent scrutiny, she shook her head. "No, it cannot be, not yet. You
must earn the right to my confidence, you must prove to me that you
will not misuse it. There are others concerned; I am not speaking for
myself alone. You must have faith in me, believe in me or let it be."

She had beaten me, conquered me. I was ready to be her slave with
blind, unquestioning obedience.

"As you think best. I will abide by your decision. Tell me all or
nothing. If the first I will help you, if the latter I will also help
you as far as lies in my power."

"Without conditions?" And when I nodded assent such a smile lit up her
face that more than repaid me, and stifled the doubts and qualms that
still opp