"Listen to me," she said, and in her tone was the authority of the
stronger personality, and the young man listened. She sat on the edge of
his bed and held his hand as she talked, and through their lives neither
might ever forget that midnight council.

* * * * *

The room had an air of having come in perfect and luxurious condition,
fur-lined and jewel-clasped, as it were, from the hands of a good
decorator, and of having stopped at that. The great triple lamp glowed
green as if set with gigantic emeralds; and its soft light shone on a
scheme of color full of charm for the eye. The stuffs, the woodwork,
were of a delightful harmony, but it seemed that the books and the
pictures were chosen to match them. The man talking, in the great carved
armchair by the fire, fitted the place. His vigorous, pleasant face
looked prosperous, and so kindly was his air that one might not cavil at
a lack of subtler qualities. He drew a long breath as he brought out the
last words of the story he was telling.

"And that, Mr. North," he concluded, "is the way the firm of Litterny
Brothers, the leading jewellers of this city, were done yesterday by a
person or persons unknown, to the tune of five thousand dollars." His
eyes turned from the blazing logs to his guest.

The young man in his clerical dress stood as he listened, with eyes wide
like a child's, fixed on the speaker. He stooped and picked up a poker
and pushed the logs together as he answered. The deliberateness of the
action would not have prepared one for the intensity of his words. "I
never wanted to be a detective before," he said, "but I'd give a good
deal to catch the man who did that. It was such planned rascality, such