"See this little clasp forming in small diamonds the word 'Baby'? It belonged to my wife in infancy, and when our little Roma was born she clasped it on her neck." "And Granny Jenks has stolen it!" she cried indignantly. "Worse than that! She stole also the child that wore it!" he answered, with a burst of the bitterest despair. His heart was breaking with its burden of concealed misery, and Sophie's eager, respectful sympathy drew him on till he could not resist the temptation to tell her all, sure of her sympathy. It was like reading a novel to Sophie--the story of the lost babe, the spurious one substituted, and all that had happened since to the present moment. "Oh, my dear sir, I believe you are quite right! Sweet, beautiful Liane was surely your daughter, while as for the other, she never had the ways of a lady, for all her grand bringing up, and she had the same cruel spirit like granny, always wanting to beat any one who displeased her. She slapped my face several times when I was her maid, and maybe you know, sir, that I left her service because I saw her push a man over the cliff one night." "I have heard it whispered that you fancied something of the kind. My wife said you were crazy," returned Mr. Clarke. "Crazy--not a bit of it, sir! It was God's holy truth! I can show you the man! He escaped the death she doomed him to, and lives in this very house!" cried Sophie, glad that she could defend herself. "I should like to see the man!" cried Clarke, who was eager to get all the evidence possible against Roma. "He will be coming in directly from his school," cried Sophie; and, indeed, at that moment a step was heard in the hall, and the dark, bearded face of the new boarder appeared passing the door. "Come in!" called Sophie imperatively, and as he obeyed: "Mr. Clarke, this is Carlos Cisneros, the man Miss Roma pushed over the bluff." Cisneros bowed to the stranger and scowled at the informer. "Why did you betray my confidence?" he cried threateningly. "Because I knew you wanted to get your revenge on her, and this man will help you to it." The two men glared at each other, and Mr. Clarke asked: "Why did she thirst for your life?" "I held a dangerous secret of hers, and she believed me dead. When I hunted her down and threatened to betray her, she tried to kill me. She pushed me over the bluff, but I was picked up by a passing yacht, and my life was saved." "What was that secret?" "She has promised to pay me richly for keeping it," sullenly answered the man. "She cannot keep her promise, because she is not my daughter at all, but an adopted one, and, finding out that she has attempted many crimes, I shall cast her off penniless."