day soon. She's not conscious yet. In
the meantime, the only thing I can do is to keep an eye, through a
detective, on the people who try to approach Bronson. We'll have the
case continued, anyhow, in the hope that the stolen notes will sooner or
later turn up."

"Confound this arm," I said, paying for my energy with some excruciating
throbs. "There's so much to be looked after, and here I am, bandaged,
splinted, and generally useless. It's a beastly shame."

"Don't forget that I am here," said McKnight pompously. "And another
thing, when you feel this way just remember there are two less desirable
places where you might be. One is jail, and the other is--" He strummed
on an imaginary harp, with devotional eyes.

But McKnight's light-heartedness jarred on me that morning. I lay and
frowned under my helplessness. When by chance I touched the little gold
bag, it seemed to scorch my fingers. Richey, finding me unresponsive,
left to keep his luncheon engagement with Alison West. As he clattered
down the stairs, I turned my back to the morning sunshine and abandoned
myself to misery. By what strain on her frayed nerves was Alison West
keeping up, I wondered? Under the circumstances, would I dare to return
the bag? Knowing that I had it, would she hate me for my knowledge? Or
had I exaggerated the importance of the necklace, and in that case had
she forgotten me already?

But McKnight had not gone, after all. I heard him coming back, his voice
preceding him, and I groaned with irritation.

"Wake up!" he called. "Somebody's sent you a lot of flowers. Please hold
the box, Mrs. Klopton; I'm going out to be run down by an automobile."

I roused to feeble interest. My brother's wife is punctilious about such
things; all the new babies in the family have silver rattles, and all
the sick people flowers.

McKnight pulled up an armful of roses, and held them out to me.

"Wonder who they're from?" he said, fumbling in the box for a card.
"There's no name--yes, here's one."

He held it up and read it with exasperating slowness.

"'Best wishes for an early recovery.
A COMPANION IN MISFORTUNE.'

"Well, what do you know about that!" he exclaimed. "That's something you
didn't tell me, Lollie."

"It was hardly worth mentioning," I said mendaciously, with my heart
beating until I could hear it. She had not forgotten, after all.

McKnight took a bud and fastened it in his button-hole. I'm afraid I w