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“He was certainly a man of iron nerve. He took my remarks without a sign either of surprise or of defiance, but listened gravely and attentively until I had finished. Then he walked across the room without a word and struck the bell.

“‘Ask Miss Andreas to be so kind as to step this way,’ said he to the servant.

“My daughter entered, and the man closed the door behind her. Then he took her hand in his.

“‘Elise,’ said he, ‘your father has just discovered that I am a villain. He knows now what you knew before.’

“She stood in silence, listening.

“‘He says that we are to part for ever,’ said he.

“She did not withdraw her hand.

“‘Will you be true to me, or will you remove the last good influence which is ever likely to come into my life?’

“‘John,’ she cried, passionately. ‘I will never abandon you! Never, never, not if the whole world were against you.’

“In vain I argued and pleaded with her. It was absolutely useless. Her whole life was bound up in this man before me. My daughter, gentlemen, is all that I have left to love, and it filled me with agony when I saw how powerless I was to save her from her ruin. My helplessness seemed to touch this man who was the cause of my trouble.

“‘It may not be as bad as you think, sir,’ said he, in his quiet, inflexible way. ‘I love Elise with a love which is strong enough to rescue even one who has such a record as I have. It was but yesterday that I promised her that never again in my whole life would I do a thing of which she should be ashamed. I have made up my mind to it, and never yet did I make up my mind to a thing which I did not do.’

“He spoke with an air which carried conviction with it. As he concluded he put his hand into his pocket and he drew out a small cardboard box.

“‘I am about to give you a proof of my determination,’ said he. ‘This, Elise, shall be the first-fruits of your redeeming influence over me. You are right, sir, in thinking that I had designs upon the jewels in your possession. Such ventures have had a charm for me, which depended as much upon the risk run as upon the value of the prize. Those famous and antique stones of the Jewish priest were a challenge to my daring and my ingenuity. I determined to get them.’

“‘I guessed as much.’

“‘There was only one thing that you did not guess.’

“‘And what is that?’

“‘That I got them. They are in this box.’

“He opened the box, and tilted out the contents upon the corner of my desk. My hair rose and my flesh grew cold as I looked. There were twelve magnificent square stones engraved with mystical characters. There could be no doubt that they were the jewels of the urim and thummim.

“‘Good God!’ I cried. ‘How have you escaped discovery?’

“‘By the substitution of twelve others, made especially to my order, in which the originals are so carefully imitated that I defy the eye to detect the difference.’

“‘Then the present stones are false?’ I cried.

“‘They have been for some weeks.’

“We all stood in silence, my daughter white with emotion, but still holding this man by the hand.

“‘You see what I am capable of, Elise,’ said he.

“‘I see that you are capable of repentance and restitution,’ she answered.

“‘Yes, thanks to your influence! I leave the stones in your hands, sir. Do what you like about it. But remember that whatever you do against me, is done against the future husband of your only daughter. You will hear from me soon again, Elise. It is the last time that I will ever cause pain to your tender heart,’ and with these words he left both the room and the house.