"The Secret Service rarely destroys a reputation, Miss Thorne, although
it holds itself in readiness to do so. I dare say in this case there
would be no arrest or prosecution, because of--of reasons which appear
to be good."

"There wouldn't?" and there was a note of eagerness in her voice. "The
identity of the guilty person would never appear?"

"It would become a matter of record in our office, but beyond that I
think not--at least in this one instance."

Miss Thorne sat silent for a block or more.

"You'll admit, Mr. Grimm, that you have forced me into a most remarkable
position. You seemed convinced of my guilt, and, if you'll pardon me,
without reason; then you made it compulsory upon me to establish my
innocence. The only way for me to do that was to find the guilty one. I
have done it, and I'm sorry, because it's a little tragedy."

Mr. Grimm waited.

"It's a girl high in diplomatic society. Her father's position is an
honorable rather than a lucrative one; he has no fortune. This girl
moves in a certain set devoted to bridge, and stakes are high. She
played and won, and played and won, and on and on, until her winnings
were about eight thousand dollars. Then luck turned. She began to lose.
Her money went, but she continued to play desperately. Finally some old
family jewels were pawned without her father's knowledge, and ultimately
they were lost. One day she awoke to the fact that she owed some nine or
ten thousand dollars in bridge debts. They were pressing and there was