he others were pouring it out, and she
was just drinking it, when I happened to look up at her head.

'Mums,' I said, 'why have you taken out gran's diamond thing? It looked
so nice.'

Mums put her hand to her head--to the place where she knew she had put
in the pin: of course it wasn't there, I wouldn't have made such a
mistake.

Mums grew white--really white. I never saw her like that except once
when father was thrown from his horse.

'Oh, Jack,' she said, 'are you sure?' and she kept feeling all over her
hair among the feathers and hanging lacey things, as if she thought it
must be sticking about somewhere.

'Stoop down, mums,' I said, 'and I'll have a good look.'

There weren't many people there just then--several had gone, and several
were having tea. So mums sat down on a low chair, and I poked all over
her hair. But of course the pin was gone--no, I shouldn't say the _pin_,
for _it_ was there; its top, with the screwy end, was sticking up, but
the beautiful diamond thing was gone!

I drew out the pin, and mother gave a little cry of joy as she felt me.

'Oh, it's there,' she said, 'there after all----'

'No, dear,' I said quickly, 'it isn't. Look--it's only the pin.'

Mother seized it, and looked at it with great puzzle as well as trouble
in her eyes.

'It's come undone,' she said, 'yet how could it have done? Gran fixed it
on himself, and he's so very particular. There's a little catch that
fastens it to the pin as well as the screw--see here, Jack,' and she
showed me the catch, 'that _couldn't_ have come undone if it was
fastened when I put it on. And I _know_ gran clicked it, as well as
screwing the head in.'

She stared at me, as if she thought it _couldn't_ be true, and as if
explaining about it would make it come back somehow.

Several ladies came up, and she began telling them about it. Cousin
Dorothea had gone, but these other ladies were all very sorry for her,
and indeed any one would have been, poor little mother looked so
dreadfully troubled.

One of them took up the pin and examined it closely.

'There's one comfort,' she said, 'it hasn't been _stolen_. You see it's
not been cut off, and that's what very clever thieves do sometimes. They
nip off a jewel in a crowd, quite noiselessly and in half a second, I've
been told. No, Mrs. Warwick, it's dropped off, and by advertising and
offering a good reward you may very likely get it back. But--excuse
me--it was very careless of your mai