Hearts and Masks

The girl tore the ring from her finger and flung it on the table. I

made a move as though to push back my chair.

"I wouldn't do it, sir," warned William quietly.

My muscles relaxed.

"Do not commit any rash action, Mr. Comstalk," said the girl, smiling

bravely into my eyes. "This gentleman would not appreciate it."

The master rogue picked up the ring and rolled it lovingly about his

palms.

"Beautiful, beautiful!" he murmured. "Finest pigeon-blood, too. It is

easily worth a thousand. Shall I give you my note of exchange for

it?"--humorously. The girl scorned to reply. He took out a little

chamois bag and emptied its contents on the table. How they sparkled,

scintillated, glowed; thousands in the whitest of stones! How he ever

had got his fingers on them is something I shall never learn. "Aren't

they just beautiful?" he asked naïvely. "Can you blame me for coveting

them?" He set the ruby on top of the glittering heap. It lay there

like a drop of blood. Presently he caught it up and--presented it to

the girl, who eyed him in astonishment. "I only wanted to look at it,"

he said courteously. "I like your grit as much as I admire your

beauty. Keep the ring."

She slipped it mechanically over her finger.

"But you, my dear Mr. Comstalk!" he cried, turning his shining eyes

upon me, while his fingers deftly replaced the gems in the bag.

"I have no jewelry," I replied, tossing aside the cigarette.

"But you have something infinitely better. I am rather observant. In

Friard's curio-shop you carelessly exhibited a wallet that was simply

choking to death with long yellow-boys. You have it still. Will you

do me the honor?"--stretching out his slim white hand.

I looked at William; he nodded. There wasn't the slightest chance for

me to argue. So I drew out my wallet. I extracted the gold-bills and

made a neat little packet of them. It hurt, hurt like the deuce, to

part with them. But--!

"Game, William, isn't he? Most men would have flung the wallet at my

head."

"Oh, he is game, sir; never you doubt it, sir," said the amiable

William.

"I have some silver in change," I suggested with some bitterness.

"Far be it that I should touch silver," he said generously, did this

rogue. "Besides, you will need something to pay for this little supper

and the fare back to New York." My bills disappeared into his pocket.

"You will observe that I trust you implicitly. I haven't even counted

the money."