dorably of violets?"

"Yes. Anybody that knows her could tell you that. Her father, Lord St.
Ulmer, brought it to her from South America. He had her name and the St.
Ulmer arms engraved upon it. At least, upon what you have called the
'capsule,' which contains some highly concentrated perfume that makes
the whole room fragrant whenever she removes a tiny gold stopper from
the delightful thing."

"Thank you! I supposed as much. Now will you tell me, Miss Lorne, how
long it is since Lady Katharine lost that little golden capsule from her
bracelet? Was it, as I am hoping, on the day when you visited Gleer
Cottage in company with her, or since?"

"What a strange question. She hasn't lost it at all. At least, she has
made no mention of having done so, as I am sure she would if it _had_
been lost. Always, of course, providing it wasn't lost without her
knowledge. At any rate, she wore it last night when we went to Clavering
Close. I know that, because I remarked at the time that she had better
let a jeweller look at it, as the ring of the scent globe was very
nearly worn through."

"Was that before you left the Grange or after?"

"After--a long while after--at Clavering Close; in fact, while we were
taking off our wraps preparatory to going down to the drawing-room."

"Hum-m-m!" said Cleek, puckering up his lips and looking grave. "You are
establishing a very unpleasant fact by that statement. It proves that,
in spite of your belief to the contrary, Lady Katharine revisited Gleer
Cottage last night, and that, too, _after_ the affair at Clavering
Close."

"How perfectly absurd! Why, she wasn't out of my sight for a single
instant."

"Nevertheless, she certainly visited Gleer Cottage last night," repeated
Cleek with calm persistence. "I know that beyond all possible doubt,
Miss Lorne; for I myself found the capsule of that bracelet there,
crushed and broken, but still showing that the St. Ulmer arms and the
name 'Katharine' had been engraved upon it. Don't look at me like that,
please, or you will make me hate myself for having to tell you this."

"But I tell you it is impossible," she still protested. "I tell you she
was never out of my sight for one instant from the time we left this
house to the time we returned. No, not for one, Mr. Cleek, up to the
very moment she left me to go to bed."

"Just so. But after that?"

"After that? After----" she began; and then stopped, and grew very pale
and very, very still, f