I am hinting nothing. Now that I have seen Lady Katharine I would
almost as soon think evil of you as of her."

There was a little summerhouse close at hand. He saw that she was faint,
shocked, overcome, and gently led her to it, loathing himself that even
for one moment he had brought pain within touch of her.

"Who knows better than I how false appearances may be?" he said. "Who
should be less likely to take suspicious circumstances for proof?"

"Oh, but to suspect, even to _suspect_, Kathie--the dearest and the
sweetest girl on earth."

"Again I dispute that!" he threw back with repressed vehemence. "And
again I declare that I am not swayed by facts, black as they may be,
black as they undoubtedly are. If I believed, should I come here and
openly tell you of these things? My duty is to the law. Should I not
carry proofs there if I believed that they were proofs? But my faith is
as a rock. Shall I prove it to you? Then look! I know that you will tell
me the truth; and it is because of that, because in my heart I know it
is a truth which you can and will face openly and with no cause for
fear, that I have declined to hold this thing of sufficient importance
to be called a clue, and as such to be handed over to the police. Miss
Lorne--Ailsa--tell me, will you--have you ever seen this thing before?"

While he was speaking his hand had gone to his pocket and come forth
tightly shut. Now he opened his closed fingers and let her see that
there was a scrap of pink chiffon edged with rose coloured stitchery
lying on his open palm. Her eyes, fixed earnestly upon his face
heretofore, dropped to the gauzy fragment held out to her, and a ridge
dug itself between her level brows.

CHAPTER NINE

BLIND GROPING

Ailsa Lorne gave a little start as she examined the fragment.

"I thought at first that it was torn from my own dress," she said
frankly, looking up at him, "for, as it happens, I was wearing a pink
dress, but not quite of this shade. I will show it to you if you like."

"There is no need, Miss Lorne," said Cleek, his eyes shining. "If you
tell me that you were not at Gleer Cottage last night, then there is no
more to be said," and with a little laugh of sheer happiness he
carefully replaced the bit of chiffon in his pocketbook. "Just one more
question, please, Miss Lorne. Tell me: has Lady Katharine a certain kind
of bracelet to which there is attached a small capsule by a link of
gold, and which smells a