he disappeared discreetly
and left me to myself and my suspicions. My suspicions led me to my
bedroom presently, where I had left some extremely valuable diamonds."

"The same that you have in your pocket at the present moment," the woman
Cora exclaimed. "If----"

A furious oath rang out from the man Reggie. Just for a moment it looked
as if he were about to strike the incautious speaker. She reddened and
grew confused. Sartoris listened, with an evil grin on his face. He
seemed to be amused at something.

"It is good of my friends to come here to-night," he said. "So kind and
disinterested. I shall know how to thank them later on. Pray proceed."

"In my bedroom was the Countess," Beatrice cried. She was so staggered
to find that her possession of the gems was known to this couple that
she could hardly proceed. "The Countess had evidently been overhauling
my belongings. But I was just in time."

"Call me a thief at once," the woman burst out furiously. "Why don't you
do it?"

"As yet I have no legal proofs to justify me in so doing," Beatrice
said. "But I have not the least doubt in my own mind. You were good
enough to come back and pretend that your maid was ill, and you were
good enough to let me smell that scent, so that you gave me a sleep that
rendered me insensible to the strange things that were taking place so
near me."

"You seem to know a great deal," the woman Cora sneered.

"Indeed I do," Beatrice went on. "I know that you were in my bedroom
planning some villainy with my husband; I know that you took wax
impressions of the seals of my father's room; I know the part you both
played afterwards. Then you disappeared, leaving no signs behind. But
you have been so kind as to confess your own identity. You will be well
advised to stand aside and let me pass."

Just for a moment it looked as if Beatrice's audacity was going to carry
her through. But it was Sartoris who interfered this time. His face had
grown black; he had thrown aside all traces of amiability now.

"You are a very clever young lady," he said with a dry sneer. "A most
exceedingly and remarkably clever young lady. But you are too proud of
your discoveries, you talk too much. You see, these good people are
friends of mine."

"I know that," Beatrice retorted. "But one thing I am certain of--had
you known what was going to happen, those photographs would never have
been left for me to see. You need not have been under the necessity of
ly