"No, I don't."

"Then if you don't want to be forgiven," returned the other with a
sneer, "why d'you come and say you're sorry?"

Jack turned away in a rage, feeling that he had at all events got the
worst of this encounter, and that it was entirely his own fault for
having laid himself open to the rebuff.

He felt vexed with Helen for telling his aunt what had taken place, and
with the latter for influencing him to offer Raymond an apology.
Altogether the atmosphere around him seemed charged with discomfort and
annoyance, and even the merry tinkle of the tea-bell was not so welcome
as usual.

"Where's Raymond?" asked Queen Mab.

"I think he's putting his things in his bag," answered Valentine.
"Shall I go and call him?"

At that moment the subject of their conversation entered the room. He
walked round to his place in silence, pausing for a moment to take
something down from the mantelpiece.

"Who owns a key with a scrap of steel chain tied on to it?"

"I do," answered Jack. "It belongs to my play-box."

"Well, here it is," returned the other. "I picked it up among the
bushes. Do you notice anything peculiar about it?"

"No."

"You don't? Well, here's something belonging to it," and so saying,
the speaker flipped across the table the little metal fragment which
had been taken from the lock in the cupboard door.

"Confound it!" said Jack. "The thief must have used my key!"

"_Faugh_!" ejaculated Raymond, bitterly.

Jack looked up quickly with an expression of anger and astonishment.

"What's the matter?" he cried. "D'you mean to say I took the watch?"

"I've said nothing of the kind," answered the other coldly; "though I
remember you did say you'd a good mind to steal it. I've simply given
you back your key."

If a thunderbolt had fallen in the middle of the pretty tea-table, it
could not have caused more astonishment and dismay than this last
speech of Raymond's. Every one for the moment was too much taken aback
to speak.

The smouldering fire of Jack's wrath had only needed this breeze to set
it into a flame. His undisciplined spirit immediately showed itself in
an outburst of ungovernable anger.

"You are a cad and a liar!" he said. "Wait till I get you outside."

"Hush! hush!" interrupted Miss Fenleigh, fearing a repetition of the
previous encounter. "I can't have such words used here. Perhaps
Raymond may be mistaken."

The last words were spoken thoughtlessly, in the heat