Desperately obliterating all expression from his face, and hoping that his
eyes were not anxious, Nick took from his pocket a gold bag whose
diamonds, alternating with sapphires, sparkled as the sunshine struck
them.

Angela accepted it delightedly, with but a superficial glance at the bag
itself. "Why, there's something inside!" she exclaimed.

"Only money," he hurried to break the news. "Not the purse, nor the
check-book. I'm mighty sorry, but they're both gone. The police did their
best. May get them later."

Angela opened the bag. "Five hundred dollars," she said counting rapidly.
"Now, isn't that odd? I didn't think I had quite so much! How queer the
_money_ should have come back without the purse it was in, and especially
the check-book. One would think that would be of little value to a thief."

"There's no accounting for a thief's ways," said Nick solemnly. "And I
guess a lady can't always remember to a dollar or two what money she had."

"No-o," Angela admitted. "But--it looks different, somehow." She glanced
again at the outside of the bag, and Nick's heart jumped. "The _bag_ looks
different, too," she said. "Newer, and----"

"As a matter of fact I took the liberty of having it cleaned up before it
came back to your hands."

"But the stones----"

"The worst of it is they had to be put back in again," said Nick. "That