ng more than my
curiosity awakened. Approaching her respectfully, and with as complete a
dissimulation of my real feelings as possible, I ventured to say:

"You are very ill, miss. Shall I summon the doctor?"

She was clutching the side of the table for support, and her head,
drooping helplessly over the box, was swaying from side to side as she
rocked to and fro in her pain.

"Thank you!" she gasped, without turning, "I will wait. I would rather
wait."

At that moment the doctor's door opened again.

"There he is now," said I.

"I will wait," she insisted. "Let the others take their turn."

Satisfied now that something besides pain caused her interest in the
box, I drew back, asking myself whether she had been in possession of
the ring from the beginning, or whether it had been passed to her by her
restless neighbor. Meanwhile, another patient had disappeared into the
adjoining room.

A few minutes passed. The man with the restless eye began to fidget.
Could it be that she was simply guarding the box, and that he was the
one who wished to open it? As the doubt struck me, I surveyed her
more attentively. She was certainly doing something besides supporting
herself with that sly right hand of hers. Yes, that was a click I heard.
She was fitting a key into the lock. Startled, but determined not
to betray myself, I assumed an air of great patience, and, taking a
memorandum book from my pocket, began to write in it. Meantime, the
doctor had disposed of his second patient and had beckoned to a third.
To my astonishment, my friend with the nervous manner responded, thus
acquitting himself in my eyes from any interest in the box.

The interview he had with the doctor lasted some time; meantime, the
young woman in the window remained more or less motionless. When the
fourth person left the room, she turned and cast a quick glance at
myself and the other person present.

I knew what it meant. She was anxious tobe left alone in order to lift
that mysterious lid. She was no more ill than I was.

There was even a dash of color in her cheeks, and the trembling she
indulged in was caused by great excitement and suspense, and not by
pain.

Compassion at once gave way to anger, and I inwardly resolved not to
spare her if we came into conflict over the box.

My companion was an old and non-observant man, who had come in after the
rest of us. When the doctor again appeared, I motioned to this old man
to follow him, which