e in the drawing-rooms, and might be
going to jump out to surprise her. When we looked over the balusters and
saw it was nurse, we ran down to the first landing towards her.

'Mr. Barstow has gone himself,' she said. 'We've been looking out Rodney
Square in the red book; we found Mr. Barry's--it's No. 37--fast enough,
but we can't say which is the other lady's, as you've no idea of the
name. There's ever so many might do for it; the very next door is a Sir
Herbert Mortimer's.'

'No, it was a short name, I'm sure of that. Aren't you, Hebe?' I said.

'Now, my dears, why didn't you say so before?' said nurse. 'A short name
would have been some guide.'

'But it was far the best to go straight to the Barrys,' said Maud, which
was certainly quite true.

Just then the front bell rang.

'Oh,' said nurse, 'if only it could be the young ladies before your
mamma comes in!'

But no, it was not Anne and Serena. It was mums herself.

She seemed to know by instinct that there was something wrong. She
glanced up and saw our heads all looking over the railing.

'What is it?' she said. 'Are you all there, dears?'

Nurse and we three looked at each other. It was no use hiding it. So we
went on downstairs to the hall.

'It's nothing really wrong, mums, darling,' I said. 'It's only----' but
nurse interrupted me.

'It's Miss Warwick and Miss Serena, ma'am, haven't come in yet,' she
said. 'We hoped it was them when the bell rang.'

Mother looked bewildered.

'Anne and Serry,' she said. 'What do you mean? Didn't they go to the
dancing with the rest of you?'

'Yes, of course; they've been in since then,' said Hebe. 'Miss Stirling
brought us all to the door. But they've gone out again, we're afraid;'
and seeing mother looking more and more puzzled, she turned to Maud.
'You tell mums, Maud,' she said. 'You know most.'

Mother sat down on a chair in the hall. She seemed quite shaky and
frightened. Nurse ran off to get a glass of water, and Maud told her all
we knew or guessed in her quiet little particular way. She told
_all_--about the ornament that had been found, and everything--it was no
use hiding anything.

'Oh,' said poor mums at the end, 'I do wish gran had never thought of
lending me his diamonds,' and she gave a great sigh. 'But after all,'
she went on, 'I don't think we need be very frightened, though it was
exceedingly, really _very_ wrong of Anne to go, whatever her motive was.
I only hope the Barrys sent some on