t expensive leather bag she wore at her side. "She carries the
ring," thought I, sitting down in the chair next her.

Meantime, I had not been oblivious of _the box_. It stood upon a plain
oak table directly opposite the door by which I had come in. It
was about a foot square, and was the only object in the room at all
ornamental. Indeed, there was but little else for the eye to rest on,
consequently most of us looked that way, though I noticed that but few
seemed to take any real interest in that or anything else within sight.
This was encouraging, and I was on the point of transferring my entire
attention to the two persons I have named, when one of them, the
nearest, rose hurriedly and went out.

This was an unexpected move on her part, and I did not know what to make
of it. Had I annoyed her by my scrutiny, or had she divined my errand?
In my doubt, I consulted the face of the man I secretly thought to be
her accomplice. It was non-committal, and, in my doubt as to the meaning
of all this, I allowed myself to become interested in a pale young woman
who had been sitting on the other side of the lady who had just left.
She was evidently a patient who stood in great need of assistance. Her
head hung feebly forward, and her whole figure looked ready to drop. Yet
when a minute later the door of the inner office opened, and the doctor
appeared on the sill in an expectant attitude, she made no attempt to
rise, but pushed forward another woman who seemed less indisposed than
herself. I had to compel myself to think of all I saw as being real and
within my experience.

Surprised by this action on the part of one so ill, I watched the pale
girl for an instant, and almost forgot my mission in the compassion
aroused by her sickly appearance. But soon that mission and my motive
for being in this place were somewhat vividly recalled to me by an
unexpected action on this very young woman's part. With the sudden
movement of an acutely suffering person, she bounded from her seat and
crossed the floor to where the box stood, gasping for breath, and almost
falling against the table when she reached it.

A grunt from the good-looking young man followed; but neither he nor
the middle-aged female with a pitiful skin disease, who had been sitting
near her, offered to go to her assistance, though the latter looked as
if she would like to. I was the only one to rise. The truth is, I
could see no one touch _the box_ without having somethi