it had struck her. There was no doubt in her mind that Kerr had
seen the ring. Somewhere in the pageant of his experience he had met it,
known it--but what he wanted of it--

She broke off that thought, and looked long at the little flame of the
lamp. It was strange, but there was no doubt in her mind but that he
wanted it. That had been the strongest thing in his look. She felt
herself picking her way along a very narrow path, one step over either
edge of which would plunge her chasms deep. Now she snatched at a frail
sapling to save herself. The fact that Kerr knew her stone didn't prove
it belonged to the Crew Idol. And if it didn't--if it wasn't the crown
of the heathen god, then her whole dreadful supposition fell to pieces.
But she hadn't proved it and the simplest way was just to ask Kerr. Her
chance for that was the chance he had fought so hard for, the chance of
their meeting the next day.

She hadn't wanted that meeting when he had first asked her for it in the
box. She had feared it then, and all the more she feared it now, because
now she would have to do more than defend herself. She would take the
offensive; she would make the attack, now that she had a question to
ask. Why should the thought of it frighten her? If this was not the Crew
sapphire she would be no worse off than she had been. If it was, her
course would be clear. It seemed it should be simple, it should be easy
to face Kerr with her question; but she was possessed by the
apprehension that it would be neither. Would the question she had to
ask be a safe thing to give him? And if she dared undertake it and
should be overpowered after all--then everything would be lost.

What the "everything" was she feared to lose would not come clear to
her. The only thing that did emerge definitely from the agitation of her
mind was the knowledge that this question that had been thrust upon her
made it tenfold more difficult to meet Kerr. And yet, to refuse to meet
him now would be as cowardly as throwing the ring out of the window.

X

A LADY UNVEILED

She wakened in the morning to some one knocking. She thought the sound
had been going on for a long time, but, now she was finally roused, it
had stopped. This was odd, for no one came to her in the morning except
Marrika, and it was tiresome to be thus imperatively beset before she
was half awake. Now the knocking came again with a level, unimpatient
repetition, and she called, "Come in!" at wh