changed hands several times. The Marheim family is abroad, and the servants....” 

 Here a waiter touched his elbow. 

 “Mr. and Mrs. Vaughan have come, sir,” he said. 

 “Send up to my apartment and tell Mrs. May we are sitting down to dinner,” returned Holland promptly, and advanced to meet the prosperous looking couple approaching. 

 “I’m afraid we are late,” said the lady, “but can you blame us? Have you heard? We have been telegraphing to Hillsborough all the afternoon to find out what has gone.” 

 “You are not late. My sister has not come down yet. I was just reading about your robbery. Have you lost anything of value?” 

 “Oh, I suppose so,” said Mrs. Vaughan cheerfully, sitting down and beginning to draw off her gloves. “We had a Van Dyke etching, and some enamels that have gone certainly, and Charlie feels awfully about his wine.” 

 “Yes,” said Mr. Vaughan gloomily. “I tell you he is going to have a happy time with that champagne. It is the best I ever tasted.” 

 “Upon my word,” said Geoffrey, “they are a nice lot of countrymen up there. Four robberies and not so much as a clue.” 

 “You need not be afraid,” said Mrs. Vaughan rather spitefully. “In spite of all your treasures, I don’t believe any thief would take the trouble to climb to the top of your mountain.” 

 Holland’s selection of a distant hilltop for his large place pleased no true Hillsboroughite. As an eligible bachelor he was inaccessible, and as a property-holder he was too far away to increase the value of Hillsborough real-estate by his wonderful lawns and gardens. 

 Mrs. Vaughan’s irritation did not appear to disturb Geoffrey, for he laughed very amiably, and replied that he could only hope that the thief was as poor a pedestrian as she seemed to imagine as he should not like to lose any of his things; and he added that in his opinion Vaughan ought to be starting for Hillsborough at once. 

 “Pooh,” said that gentleman, “I can’t go with the market in this condition,—would lose more than the whole house is worth.” 

 “You would go duck-shooting in a minute,” said Holland, “and this would be a good deal better sport.” 

 Mr. Vaughan ignored this remark. “The thing to 

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