arkle; in Harry it gloomed like a menace. His hand
hovered, clenched, above the money in a panic of irresolution; then, as
if with an involuntary relax of nerves, opened and let fall one last
piece of gold. Like a flash the whole disappeared in a sweep of Clara's
hand. It passed before Flora's eyes like a prestidigitator's trick, so
rapid as to seem unreal, and left her staring. Harry gave Clara a look,
half suspicious, half entreating; and then, to Flora's astonishment,
turned away without a word to either of them.

Clara stood still, even after the door had closed upon Harry, and oddly,
and rather horridly, she wore the same aspect she had worn the day when
she had looked intently and absorbedly upon the rifled contents of
Flora's room.

"Good morning," she said, and, pushing up her little misty veil, sat
down with her back to the deserted breakfast table, and waited meekly,
like one who has been summoned.

"I am very glad you've come," Flora said. Her wits were still all
a-flutter from the appearance of that little heap of gold. She came
forward and stood in Harry's place. She was face to face with the person
and the question, but before the great import of it, and before the
marble front of Clara's patience, she felt helpless. There was silence
in the room, perfect silence in the garden; but moving along the hedged
walk all at once she saw the flutter of Mrs. Herrick's gown, and then in
profile Kerr beside her. The sight of him gave her her proper
inspiration. She turned upon Clara.

"What are you going to do with the picture of Farrell Wand?"

For the first time she saw Clara startled. Her lips parted, and the
breath that came and went between them was audible. But she was herself
again before she spoke. "Do with it? Why I don't know." Her fingers
drummed the table.

"Whatever you do," Flora began, "please, oh, please don't do anything
immediately."

Clara's eyebrows rose like graceful swallows. "You seem to anticipate
pretty clearly what I _am_ going to do."

"I suppose you're going to do what any one would who had a clue, and
could bring a person to justice," Flora candidly responded. "But if ever
I have made anything easy for you, Clara, won't you this time make it
easy for me? I'm not asking you to give up the picture, I'm only asking
you to wait."

Clara nodded toward the window, through which Kerr could still be seen
with Mrs. Herrick. "On account of him?"

"On account of him."

For the first t