"I don't know: you don't give me a
chance. But who is the right person? The
thing seems rather small. I'm sure I
couldn't get it on."

"It can fit only the one it was made for,"
said Miriam, gravely. "And if you wanted
to find the gold, you would trust to your
science, rather than to this."

"Well, gold-hunting is not in my line,
at present. Every nugget has been paid for
more than once, before it is found. Besides,
there is something better than gold in
Southern California,--something worth any
labor to get."

"What is it?" asked Miriam, turning her
tranquil regard upon him.

Harvey Freeman had never been deficient
in audacity. But, standing in the dark
radiance of this maiden's eyes, his self-
assurance dwindled, and he could not bring
himself to say to her what he would have
said to any other pretty woman he had ever
met. For he felt that great pride and
passion were concealed beneath that tranquil
surface: it was a nature that might give
everything to love, and would never pardon