he
repeated. "It is, as you say, an excellent motto--for those who are best
assisted by a wise silence. But I assure you I am not trying to gain your
pity, or tolerance or forgiveness. I took your photographs and maps
yesterday evening and acted probably on incorrect reasoning and mistaken
impulse, but I should do exactly the same thing again under the same
circumstances; and now, I insist upon your listening to those
circumstances."

She laid aside her cup and with the scarlet still glowing on her cheek
began:

"Yesterday morning I received word from Mr. Carrothers that a man who had
all the charts and photographs of The Veiled Mariposa had been
discovered, and that that man was you. You may imagine my sensations. At
first, I could not grasp it, it seemed too inconceivable and incredible
to be true, and then, as the facts of the case were given me and I was
able to realize it, to take it in, why--I was overcome with joy. Ah,
B---- Mr. Hayden, no one was ever so happy as I yesterday morning. Your
words of a week ago, the afternoon that we had walked in the Park, came
back to me. Your mysterious allusions to the good fortune which was
almost within your grasp--and this was it! And to think that I--I should
be one of the owners of the property! Why, it was like a fairy-story."

"And are you really one of the owners?" he interrupted her to cry.

"Indeed, yes. But let me go on. I was also told that your information
would be in our hands within twenty-four hours, and then, I learned that
Ydo was conducting the negotiations. That was the rift within the lute. I
immediately became frightened. I did not know what it meant. What I did
know was that Ydo stops at nothing to gain her ends. And of course, she,
being interested, too--"

"How is she interested?" he interrupted again. "I have not discovered
that."

"I will explain later. I want to go on with this part of my story now.
But, as I say, knowing Ydo, her daring, her indifference to anything but
her own game, her powers of resource--"

"Oh, come, you are unjust to her," he exclaimed, forgetful of his own
base suspicions.

"Oh, I know it, but believe me, I am not"--again her head was haughtily
lifted--"I am not trying to gain your sympathy by criticizing her; I am
merely trying to make you understand the case as it appeared to me. As I
say, I was frightened. It was all my own superstition. Indeed, I know
that it was; but I got in a panic, and could not reason clearl