eous doubt or fear that had arisen in her own mind.
Suddenly she felt a touch on her arm.

"Excuse me, madam, but is this yours?" inquired a smooth and careless
voice over her shoulder.

As though awakening from a dream she turned; they all turned. Mr. Byrd
was holding out in his open palm a ring blazing with a diamond of no
mean lustre or value.

The sight of such a jewel, presented at such a moment, completed the
astonishment of her friends. Pressing forward, they stared at the costly
ornament and then at her, Mr. Orcutt's face especially assuming a
startled expression of mingled surprise and apprehension, that soon
attracted the attention of the others, and led to an interchange of
looks that denoted a mutual but not unpleasant understanding.

"I found it at your feet," explained the detective, still carelessly,
but with just that delicate shade of respect in his voice necessary to
express a gentleman's sense of presumption in thus addressing a strange
and beautiful young lady.

The tone, if not the explanation, seemed to calm her, as powerful
natures are calmed in the stress of a sudden crisis.

"Thank you," she returned, not without signs of great sweetness in her
look and manner. "Yes, it is mine," she added slowly, reaching out her
hand and taking the ring. "I must have dropped it without knowing it."
And meeting the eye of Mr. Orcutt fixed upon her with that startled look
of inquiry already alluded to, she flushed, but placed the jewel
nonchalantly on her finger.

This cool appropriation of something he had no reason to believe hers,
startled the youthful detective immeasurably. He had not expected such a
_denouement_ to the little drama he had prepared with such quiet
assurance, and, though with the quick self-control that distinguished
him he forbore to show his surprise, he none the less felt baffled and
ill at ease, all the more that the two gentlemen present, who appeared
to be the most disinterested in their regard for this young lady, seemed
to accept this act on her part as genuine, and therefore not to be
questioned.

"It is a clue that is lost," thought he. "I have made a mess of my first
unassisted efforts at real detective work." And, inwardly disgusted with
himself, he drew back into the other room and took up his stand at a
remote window.

The slight stir he made in crossing the room seemed to break a spell and
restore the minds of all present to their proper balance. Mr. Orcutt
threw o