easy to forget her past. And then between him and the face of the girl

before him arose the vision of another face, the face of the girl that

he had set upon a pedestal and worshiped from afar. And with the

recollection of her came a realization of the real cause of his sorrow

and depression earlier in the evening.

He had attributed it to the unpleasant knowledge he had been forced to

partially impart to her father and also in some measure to the

regrettable interview he had had with her, but now he knew that these

were only contributory causes, that the real reason was that during the

months she had occupied his thoughts and in the few meetings he had had

with her there had developed within him, unknown to himself, a sentiment

for her that could be described by but one word--love.

Always, though he had realized that she was unattainable, there must

have lingered within his breast a faint spark of hope that somehow, some

time, there would be a chance, but after to-night he knew there could

never be a chance. She had openly confessed her contempt for him, and

how would she feel later when she realized that through his efforts her

happiness was to be wrecked, and the man she loved and was to marry

branded as a criminal?

CHAPTER XXII.

A LETTER FROM MURRAY.

The girl opposite him looked up from the card before her. The lines of

her face were softened by the suggestion of a contented smile. "My

gracious!" she exclaimed. "What's the matter now? You look as though you

had lost your last friend."

Jimmy quickly forced a smile to his lips. "On the contrary," he said,

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