oices belonged to
Countess de la Moray, and the other to the man who called himself her
husband, Stephen Richford.

There was nothing for it now but to stay and wait developments.

CHAPTER X

Beatrice had not long to wait. Only a few minutes elapsed before the
door flew open and Richford came out so gently that Beatrice had barely
time to step into a friendly doorway. Her senses were quick and alert
now in the face of this unknown danger, and the girl did not fail to
note the pale face and agitated features of the man who had so
grievously harmed her. Evidently Richford had been drinking no more, but
certainly he had had some great shock, the effects of which had not
passed away. He muttered something as he passed Beatrice, and looked at
his watch. Directly he had disappeared down the corridor, Beatrice
stepped into her room.

The Countess was standing by the dressing-table picking up the odds and
ends there in a careless kind of way, but evidently in an attitude of
deep attention. Beatrice's feeling of alarm became somewhat less as she
saw that the case of diamonds on the dressing-table had not been
touched. If anything like a robbery had been contemplated she was in
time to prevent it. Just for the moment it occurred to Beatrice to
demand coldly the reason for the intrusion, but she thought the better
of that. Clearly there was some conspiracy on foot here, and it would be
bad policy to suggest that she suspected anything. So Beatrice forced a
little smile on her lips as she crossed the room.

"I shall have to give you in charge as being a suspicious character,"
she said. "I shall begin to believe that your dressmaker only existed in
your imagination."

The Countess gave a little scream, and her face paled somewhat under her
rouge. But she recovered herself with marvellous quickness. Her lips had
ceased to tremble, she smiled gaily.

"I am fairly caught," she said. "There is nothing for it but to plead
guilty and throw myself on the mercy of the court. You see, I have not
taken the diamonds, though I have looked at them."

It was all so admirably and coolly said, that it might have deceived
anybody who did not know quite so much as Beatrice. But she had made up
her mind that no suspicion of the truth should come out. Quite
carelessly she opened the lid of the jewel cases so that she might see
for herself that she was not the victim of this magnificent adventuress.

But the gems were there right enou