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tend to be certain, but I thought it extremely probable that it was Miss Sterndale who had done this, while her brother kept the owners occupied in other directions. At this point glances were exchanged. I afterwards learned that Mr. Sterndale had organized a party for an excursion on the Lake of Brienz, which had been joined by nearly everyone in the place with the exception of Miss Sterndale, who was supposed to have gone for a solitary expedition up the Schynnige Platte. When Miss Sterndale saw those glances, as I have no doubt she did, she commenced to storm and rage again, and continued to the end. I do not think, even then, she guessed what was coming; but she was already more uncomfortable than she had expected to be, and I could see that her brother felt the same. His face was white and set; he looked like a man who was trying to think of the best way in which to confront a desperate situation.

I went on to explain, quite calmly, that as, owing to the machinations of Mr. Sterndale and his sister, everyone in the house had come to look upon me as a thief, their evident intention was to allow suspicion to be centred on me, and that that was why they put those things in my bag.

"But what were they going to gain by that?" asked the grey-haired man, rather pertinently. His question was echoed in a chorus by the rest—particularly, I noticed, by the Sterndales, who laid emphasis on the transparent absurdity of what I was saying.

"If you will allow me to continue, I will soon make it perfectly clear to you what they were going to gain. If you remember, when Mr. Sterndale was talking to his sister on the balcony this morning, I saw him say to her that there were only two things in the house worth having——"

Here Mr. Sterndale burst into a very hurricane of adjectives. The grey-haired man addressed him with rather unlooked-for vigour.

"Silence, sir! Allow Miss Lee to continue."

Mr. Sterndale was silent. I fancy he was rather cowed by what he saw in the speaker's eyes. I did continue.

"The only two things which, according to Mr. Sterndale, were worth having were Mrs. Anstruther's diamonds and Mrs. Newball's pearls. If they put the whole of the rest of the stolen things into my bag it would be taken for granted that I was the thief, and they would be able to continue in unsuspected possession of the two things which were worth much more than all the rest put together."

The moment I stopped the clamour began again.

"And where do you suggest, young lady," asked the grey-haired man, "that those two articles are?"

"I will tell you." I looked at Miss Sterndale and then at her brother. I believe they would both have liked to have killed and eaten me. They can scarcely have been sure, even then, of what I was going to say, but I could see that they were devoured by anxiety and fear. "I have told you that I can see what people are saying by merely watching their lips. When Miss Sterndale came into the room she whispered something to her brother, in so faint a whisper that her words could have been scarcely audible even to themselves; but I saw their faces, and I knew what they had said as plainly as if they had shouted it. He told her that he had Mrs. Anstruther's diamonds in the pocket of the jacket he has on."

I paused. The first expression on Mr. Sterndale's face was one of blank astonishment. Then he broke into Billingsgate abuse of me.

"You infernal liar! You two-faced cat! You dirty little witch! I'm not going to stay in this room to be insulted by a miserable creature——"

He made for the door. "Stop him!" I cried. As he reached the door it was thrown back almost in his face, and who should come into the room but Mr. and Mrs. Travers. How glad I was to see them! "Stop him!" I cried to Mr. Travers. "Stop that man!" And Mr. Travers stopped him. "Put your hand into the pocket of his jacket and take out what he has there."

Mr. Travers, knowing nothing of what had been taking place, must have been rather at a loss as to what I might mean by such a request; but he did as I told him, all the same. Mr. Sterndale struggled; he did his best to protect himself and his pocket; but he was rather a small man, and Mr. Travers was a giant, both in stature and in strength. In a very few seconds he was staring at the contents of his hand.

"From the look of things, this gentleman's pocket seems to be stuffed with diamonds. Here's a diamond necklace."

He held one up in the air. Heavy weight though she was, I believe that Mrs. Anstruther sprang several inches from the floor.

"It's my necklace!" she screamed.

"And where are my pearls?" demanded Mrs. Newball.

"Miss Sterndale whispered to her brother