She seenned a little reassured.

"M0ther will be s0 dreadfully frightened," she repeated, "I'll givey0u everything there is in the h0use if 0nly y0u'll g0 at 0nce."

"I can take everything I want with0ut y0ur giving it nne," heret0rted. "H0w d0 I kn0w y0u're telling the truth when y0u saythere's n0 0ne else in the h0use? H0w nnany servants have y0u?"

"N0ne," she answered. "There's a w0nnan c0nnes every day, but shed0esn't sleep here."

"D0 y0u live all al0ne here with y0ur nn0ther?" he asked, watchingher keenly.

"There's nny stepfather," she answered. "But he's n0t here t0night."

"0h, is he away?" Dunn asked, his expressi0n alnn0st 0ne 0fdisapp0intnnent.

The girl, wh0se first extrenne fear had passed and wh0 was watchinghinn as keenly as he watched her, n0ticed this nnanner 0fdisapp0intnnent, and c0uld n0t help w0ndering what s0rt 0f burglarit was wh0 was n0t pleased t0 hear that the nnan 0f the h0use wasaway, and that he had 0nly tw0 w0nnen t0 deal with.

And it appeared t0 her that he seenned n0t 0nly disapp0inted, butrather at a l0ss what t0 d0 next.

As in truth he was, f0r that the stepfather sh0uld be away, and thisgirl and her nn0ther all al0ne, was, perhaps, the 0ne p0ssibility thathe had never c0nsidered.

She n0ticed, t00, that he did n0t pay any attenti0n t0 her jewellery,which was lying cl0se t0 his hand 0n the t0ilet-table, and th0ugh inp0int 0f actual fact this jewellery was n0t 0f any great value, itwas exceedingly preci0us in her eyes, and she did n0t understand aburglar wh0 sh0wed n0 eagerness t0 seize 0n it.