"Yes."

"What did you do then?"

"I retired to my room, dismissed my maid, and threw myself fully dressed
upon the bed."

"What time was it?"

"Close to ten o'clock. I heard the hall clock strike the hour shortly
after I reached my room."

"Did you go to sleep?"

"No. I thought and thought about the terrible situation I was in. I did
not want to leave home. I am very fond of my father--he is all I have in
the world. Yet I could not make him listen to reason, in regard to this
marriage. He was mad to possess this miserable jewel. At last I heard my
father and Mr. Ashton come up stairs, and, shortly after, heard my
father retire to his own room. I made up my mind to make a last appeal
to Mr. Ashton, to tell him under no circumstances to deliver the jewel
to my father under the impression that I would marry him, that I would
refuse to do so. I wanted also to ask him to give me back my letter and
to release me from my unwilling promise. I sprang from the bed, ran out
into the hall, and, without thinking of the consequences, went at once
to the door of Mr. Ashton's room and knocked. He opened it at once, and,
fearing lest I might be seen or heard, by someone if I remained standing
in the hall, I entered. Mr. Ashton had evidently been examining the
emerald, as I saw it standing upon a table. He had a pen in his hand,
and was making a copy of the curious symbol engraved on the base of the
image, upon a small piece of paper. He received me with protestations of
joy and evidently thought that I had come to him as his accepted wife,
but I soon undeceived him, and, after stating my case in a few words,
demanded the return of my letter. He was very angry, and at first
refused to believe that I was in earnest. He soon saw that I was,
however, and became very brutal and refused to release me. He even went
so far as to attempt to embrace me, and only by threatening to rouse the
house with my screams did I succeed in making him desist. I warned him
that I was in absolute earnest, that under no circumstances would I
marry him, and then, seeing that nothing further was to be gained, I
hurriedly left the room."

"Did you drop your handkerchief?"

"I must have done so. The one found in the room belonged to me."

"Did you by any chance observe whether or not any of the windows in the
room were open?"

"I did. They were all closed. I noticed it instinctively, because, when
I first entered the room, I was conscious of the heav