en this ring must have been on the hand which
was raised against her, and how could that have been if the hand was
that of Mr. Orcutt? Unimportant as it seemed, the discovery of this
ring on the floor, taken with the exclamations of the widow, make a
break in the chain that is fatal to Mr. Gryce's theory. Yet does it? The
consternation displayed by Mr. Orcutt when Imogene claimed the ring and
put it on her finger may have had a deeper significance than was thought
at the time. Was there any way in which he could have come into
possession of it before she did? and could it have been that he had had
it on his hand when he struck the blow? Mr. Gryce bent all his energies
to inquire.

First, where was the ring when the lovers parted in the wood the day
before the murder? Evidently in Mr. Mansell's coat-pocket. Imogene had
put it there, and Imogene had left it there. But Mansell did not know it
was there, so took no pains to look after its safety. It accordingly
slipped out; but when? Not while he slept, or it would have been found
in the hut. Not while he took the path to his aunt's house, or it would
have been found in the lane, or, at best, on the dining-room door-step.
When, then? Mr. Gryce could think of but one instant, and that was when
the young man threw his coat from one arm to the other at the corner of
the house toward the street. If it rolled out then it would have been
under an impetus, and, as the coat was flung from the right arm to the
left, the ring would have flown in the direction of the gate and fallen,
perhaps, directly on the walk in front of the house. If it had, its
presence in the dining-room seemed to show it had been carried there by
Mr. Orcutt, since he was the next person who went into the house.

But did it fall there? Mr. Gryce took the only available means to find
out.

Sending for Horace Byrd, he said to him:

"You were on the court-house steps when Mr. Orcutt left and crossed over
to the widow's house?"

"Yes, sir."

"Were you watching him? Could you describe his manner as he entered the
house; how he opened the gate; or whether he stopped to look about him
before going in?"

"No, sir," returned Byrd; "my eyes may have been on him, but I don't
remember any thing especial that he did."

Somewhat disappointed, Mr. Gryce went to the District Attorney and put
to him the same question. The answer he received from him was different.
With a gloomy contraction of his brow, Mr. Ferris said