ws more than that. It shows that, if Miss Dare was not with her
then, she must have been there earlier in the day. For, when I left my
aunt the day before, she was in entire ignorance of my attachment to
Miss Dare, and the hopes it had led to."

"Say that again," cried Gryce.

Mr. Mansell repeated himself, adding: "That would account for the ring
being found on my aunt's dining-room floor----"

But Mr. Gryce waved that question aside.

"What I want to make sure of is that your aunt had not been informed of
your wishes as concerned Miss Dare."

"Unless Miss Dare was there in the early morning and told her herself."

"There were no neighbors to betray you?"

"There wasn't a neighbor who knew any thing about the matter."

The detective's eye brightened till it vied in brilliancy with the stray
gleam of sunshine which had found its way to the cell through the narrow
grating over their heads.

"A clue!" he murmured; "I have received a clue," and rose as if to
leave.

The prisoner, startled, rose also.

"A clue to what?" he cried.

But Mr. Gryce was not the man to answer such a question.

"You shall hear soon. Enough that you have given me an idea that may
eventually lead to the clearing up of this mystery, if not to your own
acquittal from a false charge of murder."

"And Miss Dare?"

"Is under no charge, and never will be."

"And Mr. Orcutt?"

"Wait," said Mr. Gryce--"wait."

XLI.

A LINK SUPPLIED.

Upon his bloody finger he doth wear
A precious ring.
--TITUS ANDRONICUS.

Make me to see it; or at the least so prove it,
That the probation bear no hinge nor loop
To hang a doubt on.
--OTHELLO.

MR. GRYCE did not believe that Imogene Dare had visited Mrs. Clemmens
before the assault, or, indeed, had held any communication with her.
Therefore, when Mansell declared that he had never told his aunt of the
attachment between himself and this young lady, the astute detective at
once drew the conclusion that the widow had never known of that
attachment, and consequently that the words which the prisoner had
overheard must have referred, not to himself, as he supposed, but to
some other man, and, if to some other man--why to the only one with whom
Miss Dare's name was at that time associated; in other words, to Mr.
Orcutt!

Now it was not easy to measure the importance of a conclus