n whose ears I had seen
the coral and gold ear-rings matching the necklace belonging to Fleta.
I considered it better to allow Mr Masterton to break the subject.

"You are, madam, the widow of the late Sir William de Clare." The lady
bowed. "You will excuse me, madam, but I have most important reasons
for asking you a few questions, which otherwise may appear to be
intrusive. Are you aware of the death of his brother, Sir Henry de
Clare?"

"Indeed I was not," replied she, "I seldom look at a paper, and I have
long ceased to correspond with anyone in Ireland. May I ask you what
occasioned his death?"

"He fell by his own hands, madam."

Lady de Clare covered up her face. "God forgive him!" said she, in a
low voice.

"Lady de Clare, upon what terms were your husband and the late Sir
Henry? It is important to know."

"Not on the very best, sir. Indeed, latterly, for years, they never met
or spoke: we did not know what had become of him."

"Were there any grounds for ill-will?"

"Many, sir, on the part of the elder brother; but none on that of Sir
Henry, who was treated with every kindness, until he--" Lady de Clare
stopped--"until he behaved very ill to him."

As we afterwards discovered, Henry de Clare had squandered away the
small portion left him by his father and had ever after that been
liberally supplied by his eldest brother, until he had attempted to
seduce Lady de Clare, upon which he was dismissed for ever.

"And now, madam, I must revert to a painful subject. You had a daughter
by your marriage?"

"Yes," replied the lady, with a deep sigh.

"How did you lose her? Pray do not think I am creating this distress on
your part without strong reasons."

"She was playing in the garden, and the nurse, who thought it rather
cold, ran in for a minute to get a handkerchief to tie round her neck.
When the nurse returned, the child had disappeared." Lady de Clare put
her handkerchief up to her eyes.

"Where did you find her afterwards?"

"It was not until three weeks afterwards that her body was found in a
pond about a quarter of a mile off."

"Did the nurse not seek her when she discovered that she was not in the
garden?"

"She did, and immediately ran in that direction. It is quite strange
that the child could have got so far without the nurse perceiving her."

"How long is it ago?"

"It is now nine years."

"And the age of the child at the time?"

"About six years old."

"I think,