"MES CHERES DEMOISELLES: You will watch with your pretty eyes many days for the postman before that he bring you this lettre. And why? Because I am going to be very generous. You have gif me ze diamond: I will give you ze lesson. But it is not safe to gif it too soon; so I leave this lettre in charge of un ami, who is to mail it four weeks from zis day. My lesson is zis: 'Do not ever talk loud when you travel; do not keep secrets from your chaperone; and when you have a diamond hold on to it--gardez-le.' Do you understand, mes jolies et simples demoiselles? When you gave ze histoire of ze earrings to your Madame Long on ze steamer, 'Clement'--ha! ha!--heard it all. Clement--whose name is Jules--live very mooch by his wits; and he saw that these diamonds must be his--that you were two dear leetle geese--pardon!--ready to have ze feathers plucked. How to get at you he did not know: you were always with that chaperone with sharp eyes. It was I--Marie, Jules's little wife--who made up ze plan, so bold, so simple, so originale, ma foi! We had been in bad circumstance a long while: I was ze French maid chez Madame Gardine. Comprenez-vous? On ze ball-night Mademoiselle Vera was sick, but I was well. I took her ticket--I wore her belle robe--I went to ze ball for one dance, to meet you. My pretty romance turned your little heads. I have been on ze stage: I have not forgot how to act. I took you to ze Gardine house--ze madhouse, you know. Ze family were going out to dine, but we were too early. You saw Mademoiselle Vera at ze piano: you met madame in ze hall. It was for me an excited moment, but you suspected nothing. Jules did his part not ill: he won ze tears from your eyes. One of ze lace handkerchiefs I have kept, cheres demoiselles, as a souvenir: the others, with ze diamond earrings, were changed into money tout de suite. They sold for much money: we have been able to take a little trip, perhaps to Cuba, where we eat ices and drive along beautiful roads; perhaps to one gay Northern city, where we go to the play every night. Wherever it is we are happy--we think much of you. Jules calls you our sweet benefactors. And I tell you all this that you may know I spoke not false when I said, 'Vera Gardine will not be ungrateful'--a promise that you must own well kept by MARIE ZANETTI. "P. S. And that pauvre 'C. G.!' we wonder mooch about him. Charmante mystere!" Lilly fainted outright, and we had a time of it generally. In the midst of it all, Uncle David said dryly, "Well, Nanny, I suppose you may hand me over that bundle of shirts now." * * * * *