therefore persuaded Miss Manwaring to lend me this
costume of hers and went to meet Walter in her stead. Before I guessed
what was up a bag was thrown over my head, my hands and feet were
bound, and I was lifted into the body of the car and driven away at
such speed that Walter, who found out his mistake almost immediately,
was unable to overtake me before I arrived at the spot chosen for Miss
Manwaring's prison--a deserted shooting-lodge on the South Shore."

"Meantime, when it was found that I had been kidnapped instead of the
girl, and while Walter was going to fetch me and make what amends he
could, Adele and Mr. Lyttleton lost their heads entirely. Adele rushed
round looking for Miss Manwaring, and when finally she found her,
endeavoured to induce her to run away on her own account. And Mr.
Lyttleton (who, by the by, will be leaving with Adele and Walter in
the morning) on his own behalf arranged to direct suspicion of the
robbery to Miss Manwaring, induced Mr. Mason to exceed my instructions
and open the envelopes in my absence, and led Mr. Mason to Miss
Manwaring's room, where, to his own stupendous surprise, there was
found hidden one of the rings that had been stolen."

"What makes you think he was so much surprised?" Mr. Trego cut in, who
had turned in his chair to eye Mr. Lyttleton in a most unpleasantly
truculent fashion.

"Because he didn't know it was there."

"But somebody must have made the plant," Trego argued. "There's no
question, I take it, of Miss Manwaring's innocence?"

"None whatever!" Mrs. Gosnold affirmed.

"Then why not Lyttleton as well as another?"

"That," Mrs. Gosnold said slowly, indeed reluctantly, "brings me to
the fact that no confession has been made, as I had hoped it might be.
That is to say, the jewels have not been restored. I am sorry. I
have done all I could to protect the thief."

"You know--?" Trego inquired.

"I saw the theft committed," said Mrs. Gosnold. "It was done not for
gain, but for the sole purpose of securing Miss Manwaring's
discharge--"

A short, sharp cry interrupted her, and in the momentary silence of
astonishment that followed Mercedes Pride shut her eyes, sighed
gently, slipped from her chair, and subsided to the floor in a dead
faint.

CHAPTER XVIII

BREAKING JAIL

Within five minutes Sally was back behind the locked door of her
bedchamber, alone with the glowing exaltation of complete exoneration
and triumph over the machinations of h