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in of the situation. The feeling of stunned surprise began to leave her. She found herself thinking coherently again. The relief was but momentary. Why was Jimmy in the room at that time? Why had he a torch? What had he been doing? The questions shot from her brain like sparks from an anvil. The darkness began to tear at her nerves. She felt along the wall for the switch, and flooded the whole room with light. Jimmy laid down the torch, and stood for a moment, undecided. He had concealed the necklace behind him. Now, he brought it forward, and dangled it silently before the eyes of Molly and his lordship. Excellent as were his motives for being in that room with the necklace in his hand, he could not help feeling, as he met Molly's startled gaze, quite as guilty as if his intentions had been altogether different. His lordship, having by this time pulled himself together to some extent, was the first to speak. "I say, you know, what ho!" he observed, not without emotion. "What?" Molly drew back. "Jimmy! You were--oh, you can't have been!" "Looks jolly like it!" said his lordship, judicially. "I wasn't," said Jimmy. "I was putting them back." "Putting them back?" "Pitt, old man," said his lordship solemnly, "that sounds a bit thin." "Dreever, old man," said Jimmy. "I know it does. But it's the truth." His lordship's manner became kindly. "Now, look here, Pitt, old son," he said, "there's nothing to worry about. We're all pals here. You can pitch it straight to us. We won't give you away. We--" "Be quiet!" cried Molly. "Jimmy!" Her voice was strained. She spoke with an effort. She was suffering torments. The words her father had said to her on the terrace were pouring back into her mind. She seemed to hear his voice now, cool and confident, warning her against Jimmy, saying that he was crooked. There was a curious whirring in her head. Everything in the room was growing large and misty. She heard Lord Dreever begin to say something that sounded as if someone were speaking at the end of a telephone; and, then, she was aware that Jimmy was holding her in his arms, and calling to Lord Dreever to bring water. "When a girl goes like that," said his lordship with an insufferable air of omniscience, "you want to cut her--" "Come along!" said Jimmy. "Are you going to be a week getting that water?" His lordship proceeded to soak a sponge without further parley; but, as he carried his
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