This might be explained, she reflected, by the fact that they suspected the mails would be watched; but this supposition attributed some truth to the accusation that Gran’pa Jim was a fugitive from justice, which she would not allow for an instant.  Had he not told her to have faith in him, whatever happened?  Should she prove disloyal just because a brutal officer and an irresponsible newspaper editor had branded her dear grandfather a criminal?

No!  Whatever happened she would cling to her faith in the goodness of dear Gran’pa Jim.

There was very little money in her purse; a few pennies that she must hoard to buy postage stamps with.  Two parties for young people were given in Beverly and at both of them Mary Louise was the only girl boarding at the school who was uninvited.  She knew that some of the girls even resented her presence at the school and often when she joined a group of schoolmates their hushed conversation warned her they had been discussing her.

Altogether, she felt that her presence at the school was fast becoming unbearable and when one of the boarders openly accused her of stealing a diamond ring—­which was later discovered on a shelf above a washstand—­ the patient humility of Mary Louise turned to righteous anger and she resolved to leave the shelter of Miss Stearne’s roof without delay.

There was only one possible place for her to go—­to the Conant house at Dorfield, where her mother and grandfather were staying and where she had already passed three of the most pleasant years of her short life.  Gran’pa Jim had not told her she could come to him, even in an emergency, but when she explained all the suffering she had endured at the school she knew quite well that he would forgive her for coming.

But she needed money for the long journey, and this must be secured in some way from her own resources.  So she got together all the jewelry she possessed and placing it in her handbag started for the town.

She had an idea that a jewelry shop was the proper place to sell her jewelry, but Mr. Trumbull the jeweler shook his head and said that Watson, at the bank, often loaned money on such security.  He advised the girl to see Watson.

So Mary Louise went to the “bank,” which was a one-man affair situated in the rear of the hardware store, where a grating had been placed in one corner.  There she found Mr. Watson, who was more a country broker than a banker, and throve by lending money to farmers.

Gran’pa Jim was almost as fond of pretty jewels as he was of good clothes and he had always been generous in presenting his grand-daughter with trinkets on her birthdays and at Christmas time.  The jewelry she laid before Mr. Watson was really valuable and the banker’s eye was especially attracted by a brooch of pearls that must have cost several hundred dollars.

“How much do you want to borrow on this lot?” he asked.

“As much as I can get, sir,” she replied.