had made the offer to please him and Falconer. Men were very silly and
sentimental about such things. But as she, Theo, had no sitting-room of
her own they could not blame her for selfishness.

Miss Wilkins looked at Angela with her intelligent gray eyes. "Why, that's
very kind of you," she said. "I don't like to take your room----"

"But you must like it, or you'll spoil my pleasure," Angela broke in,
looking so charming in her wish to make the little dusty person happy that
few women and no men could have resisted, or helped believing in her. It
was at this moment that Falconer determined to tell Mrs. May something
about certain private interests of his at Paso Robles, which he had not
intended to mention.

"Well, I _will_ take the room, then, and I will like it, too," returned
Miss Wilkins. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

"I'm giving up nothing that I shall mind doing without," said Angela; and
did not dream that she had stirred the deep water under which a golden key
lay hid; the key of that island palace in the uncharted sea of the future.




XIV

THE MYSTERY OF SAN MIGUEL


"Do you think you will go to Shasta in Mr. Falconer's private car?" Nick