gh. Their marvellous rays seemed to
fill the room with livid fire. Beatrice glanced at her companion; the
latter had caught her underlip fiercely between her teeth, her hands
were clenched. And Beatrice knew that but for the intervention of that
stranger in the drawing-room and the sudden flight of the General, she
would never have seen those diamonds again. And yet Stephen Richford had
been in the same room with this brilliant adventuress! Beatrice would
have given a great deal to see to the bottom of the mystery.

"Oh, it is indeed a narrow escape that you have had," the Countess said.
"I was not feeling very well, so I sent my maid to ask you to come to my
room. She said you had already gone, so I took the liberty of coming
here. Is not that so?"

"Then we had perhaps better stay and talk here," Beatrice suggested.
"Adeline, will you take this case down to the office and ask the manager
to place it with my other valuables in the safe? Be very careful,
because they are diamonds."

Adeline, who had just come in, took the case in her hand. The Countess
had turned her back, but Beatrice caught sight of her face in the cheval
glass. It was livid with fury, and all wrinkled up with greed and
baffled cupidity. The girl was afraid to trust her voice for a moment.
She knew now that unless she had taken this course, the diamonds would
not have been hers much longer. A woman who could look like that was
capable of anything. Some cunning plan, perhaps some plan that took
violence within its grasp, would have been carried out before the
evening was over. So alarmed was Beatrice that she followed Adeline to
the door. She wanted to see the jewels safe and regain her lost
self-possession at the same time. It seemed to be a critical moment.

"If you will excuse me," she said, "I had forgotten to give my maid
another message."

The Countess nodded and smiled gaily. She was master of herself once
more. Beatrice stepped out of the room and followed Adeline at a safe
distance to the end of the stairs. So far as she knew to the contrary a
confederate might be lingering about waiting for a signal. Surely
enough, General Gastang was loitering in the hall smoking a cigarette.
But he seemed to be powerless now, for he made no sign, and with a sigh
of relief Beatrice saw Adeline emerge presently from the office minus
the cases which she had previously carried.

"Now, I fancy I have finished my business for the evening," Beatrice
said. "