ddress isn't her writing," he said, deep in thought.

"Oh, so you're familiar with the lady's hand?" There was an accent in
Alison's voice that told him, before he looked, that her lip was curling
and her eyes were hard.

"This is a man's writing," he said quietly, wondering if it could be
possible that Alison was jealous.

"Well?" she demanded. "What of it?"

"I don't know. Miss Searle got me on the telephone a little after one
last night; she said she'd found the necklace in the hat and was
bringing it to me."

"How did she know it was mine?"

"Heard you order it sent to me, in London. You'll remember my telling
you she knew."

"Oh, yes. Go on."

"She didn't show up, but telephoned again some time round four o'clock
explaining that she had been in a taxicab accident in the Park and lost
her way but finally got home--that is, to her hotel, the St. Simon. She
said the necklace was safe--didn't mention the hat--and asked me to call
for it at noon today. I said I would, and I'm by way of being late now.
Doubtless she can explain how the hat came to you this way."

"I'll be interested to hear," said Alison, "and to know that the
necklace is really safe. On the face of it--as it stands--there's
something queer--wrong.... What are you going to do?"

Staff had moved toward the telephone. He paused, explaining that he was
about to call up Miss Searle for reassurance. Alison negatived this
instantly.

"Why waste time? If she has the thing, the quickest way to get it is to
go to her now--at once. If she hasn't, the quickest way to get after it
is via the same route. I'm all ready and if you are we'll go
immediately."

Staff bowed, displeased with her manner to the point of silence. He had
no objection to her being as temperamental as she pleased, but he
objected strongly to having it implied by everything except spoken words
that he was in some way responsible for the necklace and that Eleanor
Searle was quite capable of conspiring to steal it.

As for Alison, her humour was dangerously impregnated with the
consciousness that she had played the fool to such an extent that she
stood in a fair way to lose her necklace. Inasmuch as she knew this to
be altogether her fault, whatever the outcome, she was in a mood to
quarrel with the whole wide world; and she schooled herself to treat
with Staff on terms of toleration only by exercise of considerable
self-command and because she was exacting a service of him.

So t