"I have separated my son from her," she muttered, sinking down upon a cushioned chair. "Any means was justifiable. He would have married her--it was drifting toward that, and rapidly. I could see it. Heaven only knows how I have plotted and planned, first to find some business by which my son could be called from the city, and during his absence get rid of that girl--so effectually get rid of her that she would never cross his path again. And I have succeeded!" As she spoke she drew from her bosom the paper which Jessie Bain had signed, and ran her eyes over it. Heaven pity any girl who signs a document the contents of which she is ignorant! This document was a statement acknowledging that she, Jessie, had taken Mrs. Varrick's diamond bracelet, and had hidden it in the bottom of her trunk, intending to slip out the following day and dispose of it, thinking she would have plenty of time to do so ere its loss was discovered; but that in this she had miscalculated, as Mrs. Varrick soon became aware of the theft; that search was made for it, and that a detective, who had been secured for the purpose of tracing it, discovered it in its hiding-place in her trunk; and that, knowing the consequences, she in her terror had made a full confession, acknowledged her guilt and threw herself completely upon Mrs. Varrick's mercy, who had promised not to prosecute her providing she left the country, which she was only too willing to do. And to this terrible document Jessie Bain signed her name clearly and plainly. With hurried step Mrs. Varrick crossed the room and locked the precious document in a secret drawer of her _escritoire_; then she remembered that the detective was awaiting her. She summoned him quickly. "The matter has been adjusted, and we have rid the house of the girl's presence," she said, coldly. "I thank you for your sagacity in tracing my diamond bracelet," she said, thinking it best to throw in a dash of covert flattery, "and I shall be pleased to settle your bill whenever you wish to present it." The detective bowed himself out of her presence, and left the house, musing on the mysterious robbery, and saying to himself: "I would be far more apt to suspect the lady of the house than that young girl." He sighed and went on his way; but all day long, while immersed in the business which usually was of such an exciting nature that he had no time for any other thought, the lovely face of Jessie Bain rose up before him. He threw down his pen at last in despair. "I must be bewitched," he muttered. "If I were a younger man I would certainly say that I had fallen in love. I must find out where that girl has gone, and have a little talk with her. I can not bring myself to believe that she stole that bracelet." He put on his hat and reached for his cane. "I can not say how long it will be before I shall return," he said to his fellow detective in charge of the office.