"Perhaps he was preserving all this as a surprise for me," whispered the awed Miss Burton. "It is just like him. I am afraid he will be awfully disappointed now that you have shown them to me." "Or mayhap he has forgotten all about them," said Gladwin, in a tone that caused his companion to start and color with quick anger. "You know that is not true," she said warmly. "You know that Travers Gladwin is just mad about art. How can you say such a thing, and in such a sarcastic tone of voice?" "Well," the young man defended himself, inwardly chuckling, "you know how his memory lapsed in regard to that heroic affair at Narragansett." Helen Burton turned and faced him with flashing eyes. "That was entirely different. It simply showed that he was not a braggart; that he was different from other men!" The words were meant to lash and sting, but the passion with which they were said served so to vivify the loveliness of the young girl that Travers Gladwin could only gaze at her in speechless admiration. When her glance fell before the homage of his regard he took hold of himself and apologized on the ground that he had been joking. Then he made the rounds of the treasure room, pointing out and giving the history of each precious family heirloom or art object with an encyclopedic knowledge that should have caused his companion to wonder how he knew so much. Several times he slipped in the pronoun I, hoping that this might have some effect in waking Helen from the obsession that any other than he could be the real Travers Gladwin. But alas! for his subtle efforts, the hints and innuendoes fell on deaf ears. She accepted his fund of information as a second-hand version, exclaiming once: "What a splendid memory you have!" Then he gave it up as a hopeless case and led the way back into the other room. CHAPTER XVIII. SADIE BECOMES A CONSPIRATOR. "Ah! Be careful! Don't go out there!" was the warning that had stopped Sadie Burton in full flight for the treasure room into which her cousin and Travers Gladwin had vanished. She was more than half way to the door in obedience to Helen's command when Whitney Barnes spoke. He was sitting on the arm of one of the great upholstered chairs in a gracefully negligent attitude twirling his gold key chain about his finger. He spoke softly but with a mysterious emphasis that took hold and held the retreating miss fast in her tracks. She turned with a frightened: "Why?" "Because I would be all alone," he said solemnly. Then as Sadie took another hurried step forward: "Oh, no, you wouldn't desert me--you wouldn't be so cruel! How would you like to have some one desert you?" This mystic remark caused Sadie to turn around and take a step toward him. She said timidly: "I don't understand." "Then I'll tell you," he said, getting on his feet and going toward her. "No, no!" objected Sadie, and began to back away. The young man stopped and said in his most reassuring tones: