her ground with a fine tooth comb, mum," said the uncouth Gid.

Mrs. Bancroft raised her lorgnette and regarded the unabashed Gid with a
look tinged with some disgust. But Gid merely showed his yellow fangs, in
what he intended to be a pleasant smile, in reply, and lifted his hat
with clumsy gallantry.

"What was the last you saw of the jewels?" asked Mrs. Bancroft of her
daughter, after Jess had been tenderly carried to the other auto and made
comfortable.

"It was just before we started down the hill," was the reply. "I felt to
see if it was safe under the seat just before the car got away from me."

"Then they were there just before the accident, of course," put in Mrs.
Bancroft. "And now they are missing in this mysterious way."

"Well, they couldn't have walked off," said Fan; "somebody may have taken
them while you were unconscious. Unless----"

He stopped and glanced at Roy, who felt his face flushing angrily. There
had been a queer intonation in Fan Harding's tones.

"Unless what?" put in Jess, looking at Fan Harding directly in the eyes.
His dropped under the scrutiny of the straightforward girl.

"I suppose you mean unless I took them," struck in Roy, angrily. There
was a hard note of defiance in his tones which sounded strange there.

Fan Harding glanced at him quickly and then said in a low voice:

"Well, it does look odd, you know, and----"

"Don't dare to say another word like that!"

Peggy, her soft eyes blazing, stepped forward before Mrs. Bancroft could
stop her. Gid Gibbon's daughter watched the angry girl with a
contemptuous smile. But Fan Harding went white and shrank back.

"I--I didn't mean anything," he stammered.

"Children! Children!" exclaimed Mrs. Bancroft, "no more of this. It seems
that there is a mystery here, and perhaps some day it will be solved. But
in the meantime I wish no suspicion, or doubt even, cast on any one."

If they had been watching Fan Harding they would have seen his face
brighten up at this. Muttering something in an undertone to Gid, he slunk
off, accompanied by his disreputable blacksmith companion and the
latter's daughter, Hester, as she went, flung back a glance of contempt
at the others, of which they took not the slightest notice.

Dr. Mays elected to return home by means of Mrs. Bancroft's auto. He
declared, laughingly, that he had had quite enough excitement that
morning for a man of his years. A few moments after the departure of Fan
and his str