The Waterbury Democrat., 1938-05-03
CAST OF CHARACTERS
CHAPTER xxx

Captain Boyer's voice was kindly.
 Remember, Miss Miner" he said, I'm not accusing want you to explain, if you can. Your steward found this clip, which Mrs. OHara has identified, in your stateroom. It was caught on some clothing in your closet"
 Joyce huddled in the big chair alongside the captains desk. Her eyes, wide and terrified, stared in dumb fascination at the glittering accusation before her. She recog- nized the elaborate diamond-and7 ruby clip instantly. She had seen it the first night half hidden by the enormous mink collar of the womans coat; she had watched it for three long hours, seated op- posite her at the bridge table. And now it had been found in her stateroom!
 The fact beat upon her brain, until her head spun. Mrs. OHara's jewels had been stolen - thirty thousand dollars worth of jewels and of them all, this clip had been found in her room. It was unbelieV- able, impossible!
 But there it was.
 "HoW did it get there, Miss Milner?" the captain persisted.
 She shock her head despairingly In a pitifully small voice, she re- piled: T don't know, captain. I don't know how it got there."
 After you came up to dance this evening, did you return to your cabin at all?'
 "No."
 "You do remember passing Mrs. O'Hara in the hall?"
 "Yes. l passed her as I eX- plained, on my way to the ladies? room"
 What cabin was she coming out of?"
 She tried to recall. Then won- dering why she had not noticed it at the time, she observed quickly: Why, she was coming out of the same cabin as mine, except that it was on "A deck"
 The captain nodded. That is hpr cabin. ALA. and yours is GAIA"
 He regarded her curiously from under half-closed lids, his shreWd eYes probing into her very soul. And as she continued to stare, she re- alized, with terrible implication, what he was thinking. Her cabin was directly under the O'Haras, two urnifl6 have hpnn an easy matter to pick up the jewel case and run down to her own room The stairs were at the very spot. She could have accomplished the trip in less than a minute!
 Miss Miner, let me ask you something else" The captain S voice lost a bit of it's severity; it took on a confidential warmth Did you know the OHaras be- fore you came on this trip?"
 'No, Captain Boyer" She was a little taken back by the ques- ton. q never saw them before in my life"
 you know what I'm thinking about, of course,' he went on to explain. That night of our first dance out on deck, Mrs. OHara seemed to resent her husbands dancing with you!
 If you will recall, captain,' she pointed out, "the dance was Paul Jones "a free-for-al eX- change of partners. I did not seek MT. OHara out. His wife's re- sentiment was uncalled for.
 mi 0 and she could not tell whether he believed her or not. For a mo- ment he sat there in silence, turn ing the matter over in his mind. Then he demanded abruptly: '1s there nothing else you can add to what you have already told me, Miss Milner?"
 Except what?"
 A bitter smile twisted her lip. Except the melodramatic fact that whoever took Mrs. O'Hara s jewelry put the clip in my room purposely."
 T see" His face was grim, un- communicative. "Very well, Miss Milner. You may go"
 She walked back to her room slowly, her head strumming with the chaotic uncertainty of her own thoughts. How did the clip get into her room?
 Meanwhile, on deck, despite Dr.. Gray's well-meant advice. Dick broke away at the first opportunity and hurried down to Joyce's cabin.
 His heart still beat more rapidly at the sweet knowledge of what her eyes had told him, but that was not enough. He must hear It from her lips, too. And in this moment, if she loved him, she needed. him. He longed to hold her close in his arms and wipe away her tears, to tell her that he loved her, no matter what the whole ship thought, Or the whole world, for that matter. He loved her. And she loved him. He was certain of it. Nothing else mat tered. Not all the diamonds in the universe, not an army of trou- ble-making O'Hara's
 He hastened down the stairway, past B" deck, "C" deck, his clumsy Pilgrim squared-toed ties making tremendous chatter. He made his way to C-214, The door was ajar on the catch, and as he knocked, he looked in, hopefully But Joyce did not answer. Twice he knocked on the door, then get ting no reply, he pushed aside the curtain and poked his head into