l you can."

"I will," she said; "only----"

And there she halted, her eyes raised to his in mute appeal, a dumb
fear expressed in their depths.

They had both avoided the topic of the murder, at the news of which she
had fainted. Garrison almost feared it, and Dorothy evidently dreaded
its approach.

More than anything else Garrison felt he must know she was innocent.
That was the one vital thing to him now, whether she could ever return
his love or not. He loved her in every conceivable manner, fondly,
passionately, sacredly, with the tenderest wishes for her comfort and
happiness. He believed in her now as he always had, whensoever they
were together. Nevertheless, he could not abandon all his faculties
and plunge into folly like a blind and confident fool.

"I'd like to ask about the jewels first," he said. "The night I first
came to your home I entered the place next door by accident. A
fancy-dress party was in progress."

"Yes--I knew it. They used to be friends of Theodore's."

"So I guessed," he added dryly. "Theodore was there."

"Theodore--there?" she echoed in surprise he felt to be genuine. "Why,
but--don't you remember you met him with the others in my house, soon
after you came?"

"I do, perfectly. Nevertheless, I saw him in the other house, in mask,
I assure you, dressed to represent _Mephistopheles_. Last night I
found the costume in his closet, and the stairs at the rear were his,
of course, to employ."

"I remember," said Dorothy excitedly, "that he came in a long gray
overcoat, though the evening was distinctly warm."

"Precisely. And all of this would amount to nothing," Garrison
resumed, "only that while I stood in the hall of the house I had
entered, that evening, I saw a young woman, likewise in mask, wearing
your necklaces--your pearls and diamonds."

Dorothy stared at him in utter bewilderment. Her face grew pale. Her
eyes dilated strangely.

"You--you are sure?" she said in a tone barely audible.

"Perfectly," said Garrison.

"And you never mentioned this before?"

"I awaited developments."

"But--what did you think? You might almost have thought that Theodore
had stolen them, and handed them to me," she said. "Especially after
the way I put them in your charge!"

"I told you we have much to clear between us," he said. "Haven't I the
right to know a little----"

"But--how did they come to be there?" she interrupted, abruptly
confronted by a phase of th