The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1902-01-30
(CHAPTER Iy.-Continued.l

CHAPTER IV.-Continued.)
1t cannot be lost" returned Lady
Sarah. you are sure you put it out,
Alice?"
II am quite sure of that. 1t was
lying first in the case, and"
Eyes, it was" interrupted Hughes.
That was its place"
"And consequently the first that I
took out" continued Alice. II put it
on the table; and the others around
it lay there
What was Alice going to add? Was
she going to adduce as proof that
Gerard Hope had taken it up, and 1t
had been subject of conversation be-
tween them? If so, recollection came
to her in time, and she faltered and
abruptly broke off. But a faint, hor-
rible dread, to which she would not
give shape, came stealing over her,
and her face turned white, and she
sank on chair trembling visibly.
"Now look at Alice!" uttered Fran
ces Chenevix; "she is going into one
of her agitation fits"
"Don't allow yourself to be agi-
tated, Alice" cried Lady Sarah; that
will do no good. Besides, feel sure
the bracelet is all safe in the case;
where else can it be? Fetch the case,
Hughes, and will look for it myself"
Hughes whisked out of the room, in
wartlly resenting the doubt cast upon
her eyesight.
cit is so strange" unused Alice,
that you did not see the bracelet
when you came up"
cit was certainly not there" re-
sumed Lady Sarah.
Perhaps you will look for yourself
now, my lady," cried Hughes, return
ing with the jewel box in her hands.
The box was we'll searched. The
bracelet was not there.
This is very strange, Hughes" ut
tered Lady Sarah.
TITS very ugly, as we'll, my lady,"
answered Hughes, in a lofty tone,
"and I'm thankful to the. presiding
geniuses which rule such things that
I was not in charge when it never
would have taken place. for I can give
a guess how it was
"Then you had BETTER" said her
ladyship, curtly.
eff do" returned Hughes, 81 shall
offend Miss Seaton."
No you will not, Hughes" cried
Alice. "Say what you please; I have
need to wish this cleared up"
"Then, miss, if may speak my
thoughts, think you must have left
the key about. And there are strange
servants in the house, you know, my
lady; there's that kitchens maid only
came in it when we did, and there's
the new under butler"
Hughes, you are wrong" interrupt
ed Alice "The servants could not
have touched the box, for the key new
i. er was out of my possession, and you
know the lock is Bramah. I locked
the box last night in Lady Sarah's
presence, and the key was not out of
my pocket afterwards until you took
it from thence this morning"
"The key seems to have had nothing
to do with it," interposed Frances
Chenevix. "Alice says she put the dia-
mond bracelet on the table with the
rest; Lady Sarah says when she went
to the table after dinner it was not
there; so it must have been in the
intervening period that the-the-dis-
appearance took place."
"And only few minutes to do 1t
I'M" calculated Lady Sarah. What
a mystery"
cit beats conjuring. my lady," said
Hughes. Gould any visitor have come
upstairs?"
1T did hear visitors knock while
we were at dinner" said Lady Sarah.
Don't you remember, Fanny? You
looked up as if you noticed it."
Ibid II" answered Lady Frances. in
careless tone.
And that moment Thomas happened
to enter with letter, and the ques-
ton was put to him, "Who knocked?"
His answer was ready.
'Sir George Danvers, my lady. When
said the Colonel was at dinner, Sir
George began to apologize for calling,
but / explained that you were dining
earlier than usual because Of the
opera"
Nobody else called?"
Nobody knocked but Sir George,
my lady"
"a covert answer" thought Alice;
''but am glad he is true to Gerard"
What an untruth!" thought Lady
Frances, as she remembered the visit
of Alice's sister. Thomas memory
must be short"
All the falkland it was much pro-
longed-did not tend to throw any
light upon the matter, and Alice, un-
happy and i'll. retired to her own room.
The agitation had brought on ner-
vous and violent headache, and she
sat down in low chair and bent her
fOrehed on to her hands, One belief