Part 29 (1/2)
”Have you,” she asked cynically, ”always been so straight that you don't know what temptation means? Have you never wanted anything so much that you--”
”That I wanted to steal? No; not even to steal your affections when I thought they belonged to Jo. I will spare you exposure. When I return the ring to Hebler I will tell him it was found on the floor by a servant.”
”Thank you,” she said meekly. ”If he knew I were here, he'd know who the 'servant' was. What do you propose to do with me now? Return the goods to Bender, or squeal on me to Hebby?”
”I don't know until I have talked it over with Mrs. Kingdon.”
”That is very considerate and fair in you,” she commended. ”Some way I feel confident she will think I should have another chance. You owe me something. 'Kind Kurt,'” she continued lightly, with a return of the flippancy that had so jarred him on their first meeting, ”suppose I had been weak enough to accept your proposal last night? I knew my lapses too well and was too considerate of your happiness to say 'yes.' Suppose I had. Would your sense of honor have been equal to the sacrifice of keeping faith with me? No; I see by your face it would not have been. So you see your love--your _man's_ love, isn't great enough for even a thief to consider.”
”Give me the ring,” he said coldly.
”No; I prefer to return it myself. I'll take my chances with Hebby. Even he isn't as merciless as you. And as I said, his claim is prior to yours.
I never expected to take refuge with Hebby! Where is he now?”
”He has gone to the garage. Wait! You shall not go.”
He put out a detaining arm, under which she ducked and fled nimbly down the stairs and out to the door. She heard him pursuing, but she jumped on Francis' wheel which stood near and was soon coasting down the driveway to the garage.
”Hebby! Oh--oh, Hebby!” she called to the man sauntering at some distance ahead of her.
”The thief!” he exclaimed as she came up to him and dismounted. ”So, at last I've found you!”
”_Found_ me! Well, I like that! Here I come chasing after you and doing the finding myself. Really lost your ring this time, Hebby? Didn't seem like your 'code' to mention your loss to so new an acquaintance. Sort of a breach, wasn't it?”
He flushed shamefacedly, but his discomfiture, short-lived, was succeeded by a broad grin.
”Then it was _you_ who took it! That tall, solemn guy seemed to think he could recover it, but I am more delighted at recovering you than a hundred rings.”
”May I keep it, Hebby?”
”You always said you detested that ring--that it was very parvenu and so forth. But what are you doing up here, and how did you get in with these folks?”
”Can't a thief break in anywhere? It's far more surprising how _you_ got in.”
”You'll not escape me again. You'll go with me when I leave.”
”Thank you, Hebby. I'm through here. Will you do me a favor?”
”You don't deserve favors.”
”You never did favor the deserving, you know. Will you tell the 'tall, solemn guy' that you have your ring all right? I'll see you get it. I haven't it on me. But this is the real favor. No one here, except Mrs.
Kingdon and one of the men on the place, knows very much about my chequered career and they only know me by my baptismal name.”
”Which I'm not sure that I know, Meg. You have so many names.”
”I took my own as a perfect disguise. It's Penelope Lamont.”
”Fine name. I'll make a note of it for future use. I'll keep your secret if you'll not try to run away again. You haven't told me how you came here.”
”I was--apprehended. But I am not on a thief's errand. It's for a reason apart from my other life. You know, Hebby, thieves do have a code of honor.”
”You are the one and only thief! I take off my hat to you. Say, how did that tall guy know you had it?”