1711

Bertha went off with the news, closing the door quite softly ; and a few minutes later

Iady Maclure hersell appeared n the Californian’s room, to console her visitor under this severe domestic affliction. She

found Persis sitting up in bed, 1 her pretty French dressing ]J.L]\L‘ (pale blue with serers ol fawn Colour), reading a book of verses. “\Why, my dear !”7 Lady Maclure exclanned,

• then you've found them again, I supposc 5

Bertha told us you'd lost your lovely rubies 7

“So T have, dear Tady Maclure,” Persis answered, wiping her eves: “theyre gone.

Theyve been stolen, Tiorgot to lock my door when I came home last night, and the window WS Open ; some- body must have come 1, this way or that, and taken them. But whenever I'm i troublg, I try a dose of Browning, He's splendid for the nerves. Hce's so consoling, you know; he brings one to anchor.”

She break- fasted 1 bed; she wouldn’t leave the room,

she declared, ull the police arrived. After

breakfast she rosc and put on her damty Parisian - morn- ing wrap \mcnum have always such pretty hedroom things for these informal receptions - -and sat up i state to await the police officer. Sir Ioverard himself, much disturbed that sucha mishap should have happened in his house, went round in person to feteh the official. While he was gone, Lady Maclure made a thorough scare h of the room, but couldn’t find a trace of the missing 1ul)1c

“Arc you sure you put them in the eas, dear?” she asked, for the honour of LllL' houschold.

And Persis answered : Lady Maclure @ 1 alwayvs put

“CLADY

“Qute conlident, them there the

SN AND

MACLURIE

MoAGALINTL.

moment I take them off ; and when I came to look for them this morning, the case was cipty.”

“T'hey were 2ery valuable,

Fady Maclure said, inquiringly.

• Six thousand p()unds was the figure mn

vour money, 1 guess,” Persis zmsm,md, rue- fullv, 1 don’t know il you call that a lot ol money in Iingland, but we do in America.”

There was a moment’s pause, and then Persis spoke again -

“Lady Maclure,” she said, abruptly, “do vou consider that maid ol yours a Christian woman ?

I.ady Maclure was startled. ‘T'hat was hardly

T believe?”

the Tlight 1 which she was accustomed to

regard the lower classes.

“Well, T don't know about that,” she said, slowly 5 ““that’s a great deal, you know, dear, to assert about azr- bodv, especially one’s maid. But I should think she was honest, quite decidedly honest.”

“Well, that's the same thing,

about, 1sn'tit?” Persis answered, much reheved. “I'm glad you think that’s so; for T was almost hall afraid of her. She’s too quict for my taste, ‘sm'mho\\f; so silent, you know, and msc Hl[ll)l(‘

“Oh, my dear,” her hostess ceried, “don't blame her for silence ; that’s just what T like about her. Tts exactly what I chose her for. Such a nice, noiscless girl 1 moves about the room like a cat on tiptoe ; knows her proper place, and never dreams of speaking unless she's spoken to.”

you may like them that way in Furope, Persis usp(md(,d rankly : “but in America, we prefer them a little bit human.”

Twenty minutes later the police officer arrived. He wasn’t in uniform. The inspector,

STARTLED.

WAS