"R. S. T.," smiled Grace. "This bracelet was my mother's. Mr. Stoughton allowed me to place this keepsake and some other valuables of mine in his private safe. Gentlemen, the whole of those jewels were mine—my sole and only fortune. I was keeping them for"—her eyes stole toward Philip—"for my marriage portion, the secret and great surprise I had planned for my future husband. They are worth some five thousand dollars—my mother was the daughter of a wealthy man. They would have given us a home if I could have kept them; they would also have given my husband a start in business, and this I should have preferred, but I could not let Mr. Stoughton's securities be endangered, and so they had to go. Philip, cannot you forgive me when you think that it was through my folly the secret of the safe became known?"
"I forgive you?" He could not show his feelings, but his eyes were eloquent; so were Fellows's; so were those of the various officials.
"You can prove these statements, Miss Lee?" asked one.
"Easily," she replied.
Then they turned to Fellows.
CHAPTER XX
"A jewel of far greater value"
GRACE never got back her jewels. The wily Johnson was not caught, though Fellows turned state's evidence and did all he could to have the professional netted in the same manner as himself. But she did not suffer from this loss. When Mr. Stoughton learned the full particulars of this daring robbery, he made good to her the value of those jewels, and the prosperity of this young couple was secured. He was even present at the wedding. Grace wore her mother's bracelet, but on her breast was a jewel of far greater value. On its back was engraved,
To brave G. L.
From her grateful friend, T. S.
Transcriber's Note:
Changes have been made to the original publication as follows:
| Page 12 | which for some inscrutible changed to which for some inscrutable |
| Page 15 |
you're proposition, Mr. Fellows changed to your proposition, Mr. Fellows |
| Page 69 |
window You can see it changed to window. You can see it |
| Page 77 |
attempted some purile protest changed to attempted some puerile protest |
| Page 78 |
done by day and duing changed to done by day and during |
| Page 100 |
screaming will do no you good changed to screaming will do you no good |
| Page 113 |
drew herself up againand met him with changed to drew herself up again and met him with |
| Page 123 |
horrorstricken eyes into the unmoved changed to horror-stricken eyes into the unmoved |
| Page 133 |
stood at just tw nty-five changed to stood at just twenty-five |
| Page 134 |
want's to hear her changed to wants to hear her |
| Page 153 |
Gentlemen the whole of those changed to Gentlemen, the whole of those |