his
examination sink into the minds of the jury; then he went on:

"Miss Dare, you say you returned the ring to the prisoner?"

"Yes, sir."

"You say positively the ring passed from you to him; that you saw it in
his hand after it had left yours?"

"No, sir. The ring passed from me to him, but I did not see it in his
hand, because I did not return it to him that way. I dropped it into his
pocket."

At this acknowledgment, which made both the prisoner and his counsel
look up, Mr. Byrd felt himself nudged by Hickory.

"Did you hear that?" he whispered.

"Yes," returned the other.

"And do you believe it?"

"Miss Dare is on oath," was the reply.

"Pooh!" was Hickory's whispered exclamation.

The District Attorney alone showed no surprise.

"You dropped it into his pocket?" he resumed. "How came you to do that?"

"I was weary of the strife which had followed my refusal to accept this
token. He would not take it from me himself, so I restored it to him in
the way I have said."

"Miss Dare, will you tell us what pocket this was?"

"The outside pocket on the left side of his coat," she returned, with a
cold and careful exactness that caused the prisoner to drop his eyes
from her face, with that faint but scornful twitch of the muscles about
his mouth, which gave to his countenance now and then the proud look of
disdain which both the detectives had noted.

"Miss Dare," continued the Prosecuting Attorney, "did you see this ring
again during the interview?"

"No, sir."

"Did you detect the prisoner making any move to take it out of his
pocket, or have you any reason to believe that it was taken out of the
pocket on the left-hand side of his coat while you were with him?"

"No, sir."

"So that, as far as you know, it was still in his pocket when you
parted?"

"Yes, sir."

"Miss Dare, have you ever seen that ring since?"

"I have."

"When and where?"

"I saw it on the morning of the murder. It was lying on the floor of
Mrs. Clemmens' dining-room. I had gone to the house, in my surprise at
hearing of the murderous assault which had been made upon her, and,
while surveying the spot where she was struck, perceived this ring lying
on the floor before me."

"What made you think it was this ring which you had returned to the
prisoner the day before?"

"Because of its setting, and the character of the gem, I suppose."

"Could you see all this where it was lying on the floor?"

"It was brought near