"She
thought, naturally, that you had brought it straight to us. I don't know
whether she seriously expected that we would give it up again, but that
seemed to be the object of her visit. At any rate, we learnt that you
had succeeded."
Stella was busy with the last finger of her glove.
"Yes!" she said, "I succeeded. It was a brutal action, and I shall never
quite forgive myself for it, but I got the paper."
"Well?" he said.
"Well?" she answered calmly.
A horrible misgiving came over him.
"You haven't parted with it?" he demanded anxiously. "You haven't let
your father have it back again?"
"I have not parted with it," she answered, "to my father. On the other
hand, I certainly have not got it. A hundred thousand dollars is a good
deal of money, Mr. Littleson; but I did not commit theft for the benefit
of you and your friends."
"What do you mean?" he asked hoarsely.
"Exactly what I say," she answered. "The paper is in safe keeping. You
will probably hear before long who has it."
Littleson was speechless. All manner of horrible fears oppressed him.
"You must tell me," he insisted hoarsely, "where it is, who has got it!
This is infamous! Why, if I had not told you--"
"I should not have known anything about it," she interrupted.
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