t.

Denzil therefore left a message that he would call at noon the next day,
and drove from St. James's to Kensington, where he visited Diana. Here
he detailed what he had learned and done from the time he had visited
Mrs. Bensusan up to the interview with Lydia. Also he displayed the
cloak, and narrated how Mrs. Vrain had cleared herself of its purchase.

To all this Diana listened with the greatest interest, and when Lucian
ended she looked at him for some moments in silence. In fact, Diana,
with all her wit and common sense, did not know how to regard the
present position of affairs.

"Well, Miss Vrain," said Lucian, seeing that she did not speak, "what
do you think of it all?"

"Mrs. Vrain appears to be innocent," said Diana in a low voice.

"Assuredly she is! The evidence of the Pegall family--given in all
innocence--proves that she could not have been in Geneva Square or in
Jersey Street on Christmas Eve."

"Then we come back to my original belief, Mr. Denzil. Lydia did not
commit the crime herself, but employed Ferruci to do so."

"No," replied Denzil decidedly. "Whether the Italian is guilty or not,
Mrs. Vrain knows nothing about it. If she were cognisant of his guilt
she would not have risked going with me to Baxter & Co., and letting me
discover that Ferruci had bought the cloak. Nor would she so lightly
surrender a possible accomplice as she has done Ferruci. Whatever can be
said of Mrs. Vrain's conduct--and I admit that it is far from
perfect--yet I must say that she appears, by the strongest evidence, to
be totally innocent and ignorant. She knows no more about the matter
than her father does."

"Well," said Diana, unwilling to grant her stepmother too much grace,
"we must give her the benefit of the doubt. What about Ferruci?"

"So far as I can see, Ferruci is guilty," replied Lucian. "To clear
himself he will have to give the same proof as Mrs. Vrain. Firstly, he
will have to show that he was not in Jersey Street on Christmas Eve;
secondly, he will have to prove that he did not buy the cloak. But in
the face of the servant's evidence, and the statement of the shopwoman,
he will find it difficult to clear himself. Yet," added Lucian,
remembering his failure with Lydia, "it is always possible that he may
do so."

"It seems to me, Mr. Denzil, that your only chance of getting at the
truth is to see the Italian."

"I think so myself. I will see him to-morrow."

"Will you take Mr. Link with you?"