She was asking
me about it."

"It is since then," continued Evelyn. "I went up to her room before
dinner to ask her for a fan that I had lent her. She was packing some of
her things, and the floor was strewn with packing-paper and parcels. She
gave me my fan, and was going on putting her things together, talking
all the time, when she asked me to hand her a glove-box on the
dressing-table. As I did so my eye fell on a piece of paper lying
together with others, and I instantly recognized it as the same that had
been wrapped round the diamond crescent when Colonel Middleton first
showed us the jewels. I should never have noticed it--for though it was
rice paper, it looked just like the other pieces strewn about--if I had
not seen two little angular tears, which I suddenly remembered making in
it myself when General Marston asked me not to pull it to pieces, which
I suppose I had been absently doing. I made some sort of exclamation of
surprise, and Aurelia turned round sharply, and asked me what was the
matter. As I did not answer, she left her packing and came to the table.
She saw in a moment what I was looking at. I had turned as red as fire,
and she was quite white. 'I did not mean you to see that,' she said, at
last, quietly taking up the paper. 'I meant no one to know until I had
shown it to Ralph. _Do you know where I found it?_' and she looked hard
at me. I could only shake my head. I was too much ashamed of a suspicion
I had had to be able to get out a word. 'I am very sorry,' continued
Aurelia, 'but I am afraid it will be my duty to tell Ralph, whatever the
consequences may be. I have been thinking it over, and I think he ought
to know. I am going to show it him to-night after dinner,' and she put
it in her pocket, and then began to cry. I did not know what to say or
do, I was so frightened at the thought of what was coming; and, as the
dressing-bell rang at that moment, I was just leaving the room when she
called me back.

"'I can't come down to dinner,' she said. 'I hate Ralph to see me with
red eyes. Tell him I shall come down afterwards, at nine o'clock, and
that I want to see him particularly; only don't tell him what it is
about, or mention it to any one else. I did not mean any one to know
till he did.'

"She began to cry afresh, and I made her lie down and put a shawl over
her, and then left her, as I had still to dress, and I knew that Aunt
Mary was not coming down. I was late as it was."

"Is that