e spot, that you had shown yourself the busiest of anybody
in fetching the police, as a blind to deceive us all; and that the hand
which had taken Miss Rachel's jewel could by no possibility be any other
hand than yours.

"The excitement of this new discovery of mine must, I think, have turned
my head for a while. I felt such a devouring eagerness to see you--to
try you with a word or two about the Diamond, and to MAKE you look at
me, and speak to me, in that way--that I put my hair tidy, and made
myself as nice as I could, and went to you boldly in the library where I
knew you were writing.

"You had left one of your rings up-stairs, which made as good an excuse
for my intrusion as I could have desired. But, oh, sir! if you have ever
loved, you will understand how it was that all my courage cooled, when
I walked into the room, and found myself in your presence. And then, you
looked up at me so coldly, and you thanked me for finding your ring in
such an indifferent manner, that my knees trembled under me, and I felt
as if I should drop on the floor at your feet. When you had thanked me,
you looked back, if you remember, at your writing. I was so mortified at
being treated in this way, that I plucked up spirit enough to speak. I
said, 'This is a strange thing about the Diamond, sir.' And you looked
up again, and said, 'Yes, it is!' You spoke civilly (I can't deny that);
but still you kept a distance--a cruel distance between us. Believing,
as I did, that you had got the lost Diamond hidden about you, while you
were speaking, your coolness so provoked me that I got bold enough, in
the heat of the moment, to give you a hint. I said, 'They will never
find the Diamond, sir, will they? No! nor the person who took it--I'll
answer for that.' I nodded, and smiled at you, as much as to say, 'I
know!' THIS time, you looked up at me with something like interest in
your eyes; and I felt that a few more words on your side and mine might
bring out the truth. Just at that moment, Mr. Betteredge spoilt it all
by coming to the door. I knew his footstep, and I also knew that it was
against his rules for me to be in the library at that time of day--let
alone being there along with you. I had only just time to get out of my
own accord, before he could come in and tell me to go. I was angry and
disappointed; but I was not entirely without hope for all that. The ice,
you see, was broken between us--and I thought I would take care, on the
nex