“I couldn’t pay, of course, and the other women said they’d have to ask mother or you for the money and if you wouldn’t pay I should have to go to jail. I didn’t know what to do. I nearly went out of my head, I think. At last Philip Sloane offered to lend it me.” The elder recoiled from her. “That man!” she cried horrified. “Oh, Amy, and how often I have warned you against him!” “There was nothing else to do,” her sister explained. “You were away and I had no one to go and ask.” “Stop a minute,” Ethel said. “If you borrowed the money and paid the debts, why did you need to take my diamonds?” Amy hung her head. “When he lent me the money he said I could pay it back whenever I wanted to, in a hundred years if I liked.” “Well?” Ethel cried anxiously. “Well?” “But a day or so later he came to see me, mother was out, and his manner was so different I was frightened. He--he said a girl who accepts money from a man is never any good, and nobody will believe them no matter what they say. I didn’t think men could be like that. He said he’d forget about it if I went away with him. He said nobody would know it--he could arrange all that--and he threatened all sorts of things. Oh, everything you said about him was right.” “Go on,” her sister commanded, in a hard staccato tone. “What then?” “At first I thought of killing myself but I was afraid. And then I saw your jewel-case and I pretended they were stolen. I got half the money from the pawn-shop and the other half from you when the company settled. It was wicked of me, Ethel, but what could I do?” Ethel put her arm about the poor sobbing girl very tenderly. “My poor little sister,” she whispered, “my little Amy, you did the better thing after all. But you should have told me before, so that I could have helped you.” “I was afraid to,” the girl said, looking into the face above her, “I meant to have told you next month when that money is coming from father’s estate. I thought we could pay the company then so that I shouldn’t feel like a thief. I’m so glad I’ve told you; it has frightened me so!” But the grave expression on Ethel’s face alarmed her. “Why do you look like that?” she demanded. “It will be all right,” Ethel assured her. “But you know those dividends have been delayed this month and neither mother nor I have any spare money if the Burglar Insurance people want to be paid back. I daresay we can arrange something, so don’t be frightened. And remember, this man Taylor can’t know certainly. He only suspects, and we ought to be able to beat him if we are very careful. I’m so glad you told me so that I know what to do.” “But I’m afraid of him,” Amy cried. “I shall break down and they’ll put me in prison. Ethel, I should die if they did that.” “I’ll save you, dear,” Ethel said comfortingly. “You know you have always been able to believe in me, and I will save you if only you try to control yourself.”