Chapter III

WHO WAS IT?

Who had taken it? This question tormented Treherne all that sleepless night. He suspected three persons, for only these had approached the fire after the note was hidden. He had kept his eye on it, he thought, till the stir of breaking up. In that moment it must have been removed by the major, Frank Annon, or my lady; Sir Jasper was out of the question, for he never touched an ornament in the drawing room since he had awkwardly demolished a whole _etagere_ of costly trifles, to his mother's and sister's great grief. The major evidently suspected something, Annon was jealous, and my lady would be glad of a pretext to remove her daughter from his reach. Trusting to his skill in reading faces, he waited impatiently for morning, resolving to say nothing to anyone but Mrs. Snowdon, and from her merely to inquire what the note contained.

Treherne usually was invisible till lunch, often till dinner; therefore, fearing to excite suspicion by unwonted activity, he did not appear till noon. The mailbag had just been opened, and everyone was busy over their letters, but all looked up to exchange a word with the newcomer, and Octavia impulsively turned to meet him, then checked herself and hid her suddenly crimsoned face behind a newspaper. Treherne's eye took in everything, and saw at once in the unusually late arrival of the mail a pretext for discovering the pilferer of the note.

"All have letters but me, yet I expected one last night. Major, have you got it among yours?" And as he spoke, Treherne fixed his penetrating eyes full on the person he addressed.

Now, provide a numbered list of answers to these questions:

1. How many were suspected in the theft?
2. What was stolen?
3. Wher
4. Was any female a suspect?
5. Who?
6. Who's another?
7. And the last?
8. Who was away until lunch?
9. How late was she other times?
10. How long ago had the bag of mail been opened?
11. Were there others there?
12. Did they greet the person who arrived?
13. Who blushed after seeing him?
1. three persons
2. an ornament
3. in the drawing room
4. yes
5. His lady
6. , Frank Annon
7. the major
8. Treherne
9. till dinner
10. Just now
11. Yes
12. yes
13. Octavia