s not easily frightened.'

Or, suddenly:--

'Can Mary Quince write, in case you were ill?'

Or,

'Can she take a message exactly?'

Or,

'Is she a person of any enterprise and resource, and cool in an emergency?'

Now, these questions did not come all in a string, as I write them down
here, but at long intervals, and were followed quickly by ordinary talk;
but they generally escaped from my companion after silence and gloomy
thought; and though I could extract nothing more defined than these
questions, yet they seemed to me to point at some possible danger
contemplated in my good cousin's dismal ruminations.

Another topic that occupied my cousin's mind a good deal was obviously the
larceny of my pearl cross. She made a note of the description furnished by
the recollection, respectively, of Mary Quince, Mrs. Rusk, and myself. I
had fancied her little vision of the police was no more than the result of
a momentary impulse; but really, to judge by her methodical examinations of
us, I should have fancied that she had taken it up in downright earnest.

Having learned that my departure from Knowl was to be so very soon, she
resolved not to leave me before the day of my journey to Bartram-Haugh; and
as day after day passed by, and the hour of our leave-taking approached,
she became more and more kind and affectionate. A feverish and sorrowful
interval it was to me.

Of Doctor Bryerly, though staying in the house, we saw almost nothing,
except for an hour or so at tea-time. He breakfasted very early, and dined
solitarily, and at uncertain hours, as business permitted.

The second evening of his visit, Cousin Monica took occasion to introduce
the subject of his visit to Bartram-Haugh.

'You saw him, of course?' said Lady Knollys.

'Yes, he saw me; he was not well. On hearing who I was, he asked me to go
to his room, where he sat in a silk dressing-gown and slippers.'

'About business principally,' said Cousin Monica, laconically.

'That was despatched in very few words; for he was quite resolved, and
placed his refusal upon grounds which it was difficult to dispute. But
difficult or no, mind you, he intimated that he would hear nothing more on
the subject--so that was closed.'

'Well; and what is his religion now?' inquired she, irreverently.

'We had some interesting conversation on the subject. He leans much to what
we call the doctrine of correspondents. He is read rather deeply in the
writings of Swedenb